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Recently  Published, 

The  Great  Tribulation.^ 

FIRST  SERIES. 

FORMING  BOOK  I.  OF  THIS  WORK 


One  YoL  12mo.  Price,  $1,00. 


THE 


Great  Tribulation; 

OR, 


THINGS  COMING  ON  THE  EARTH. 


BY 

THE  REV.  JOHN  GUMMING,  D.D.,  F.R.S.E. 

MINISTER  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  NATIONAL  CHURCH, 
CROWN  COURT,  COVENT  GARDEN. 


SECOND  SERIES. 


“ A time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a nation.” — ^Dan.  idi  1. 
“ There  shall  be  great  tribulation.” 


NEW  YORK : 

Rudd  & Carleton,  130  Grand  Street, 

LONDON:  RICHARD  BENTLEY. 

M DCCC  LX. 


It.  CllAlGHEAD, 

Printer,  Stereotyper,  and  Electrotypcr, 

Caiton  58utIUin0, 

81,  83,  and  85  Centre  Street, 


^36 

C9I^ 

S^.(k 


PUBLISHER’S  ADYERTISEMENT. 


This  volume  of  “The  Gkeat  Tribulation”  contains 
Dr.  Cumming’s  second  and  concluding  series  of  lectures 
on  this  momentous  subject.  These  lectures,  which  in 
the  opinion  of  the  best  theological  critics  rank  among 
the  most  important  of  recent  contributions  to  the  Lite- 
rature of  the  Prophecies,  differ  somewhat  from  those 
that  precede  them ; for  while  the  former,  in  the  words 
of  the  author,  “ deal  with  the  nature  and  marks  of  The 
Great  Tribulation,”  the  latter  relate  to  the  character 
and  condition,  the  hopes,  happiness,  and  destiny  of  the 
People  of  God — ^the  Blessed  to  whom  belong  the  pro- 
mises of  Scripture,  and  who  will  come  out  of  The  Great 
Tribulation,  like  gold  from  the  furnace,  refined  and 
purified.  There  will  be  found  in  this  part  much  to 
cheer,  animate,  and  sustain  them,  in  circumstances  of 
unprecedented  trouble. 


701!>58 


CONTENTS 


LECTURE  XXL  Page 

1867  Dan.  xii.  11,  12  9 


LECTURE  XXII. 


The  Harvest  of  the  Earth  . 

. Dan.  xii.  2 

25 

LECTURE 

XXIII. 

The  Shining  Throng  . . 

. . Dan.  xii.  3 

41 

LECTURE 

% 

XXIV. 

Locomotion  and  Learning  . 

. . Dan.  xii.  4 

56 

LECTURE 

XXV 

No  More  Sea 

74 

LECTURE 

XXVI. 

The  Purifying  Process 

. . Dan.  xii.  10 

94 

LECTURE 

XXVII. 

The  Glorious  Lot  . . . 

105 

LECTURE 

XXVIIL 

The  Enduring  Word  . . 

. . Matt.  xxiv.  35 

122 

LECTURE 

XXIX. 

A Thousand  Years  as  One  Day  2 Peter  iii,  8 133 


VI. 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE  XX:^:. 

The  Heart’s  Desire  ....  2 Cor.  v.  2 — 4 149 

LECTURE  XXXI. 

The  First  Resurrection  . . . Phil,  iii,  11  166 

LECTURE  XXXII. 

The  Blessed  and  Holy  Part  . Rev.  xx.  6 185 

LECTURE  XXXIIL 

Degrees  of  Happiness  ....  2 Cor.  ix,  6 199 

LECTURE  XXXIY. 

Recognition  in  the  Age  to  Come.  Rev.  xx.  6 216 

LECTURE  XXXV. 

The  Throned  Priest  and  King.  Zech.  vi.  13  238 

LECTURE  XXXYI.  • 

Our  Refuge  in  the  Great  Tribu- 
lation  Psalm,  xlvi.  12  27 

LECTURE  XXXYII. 

Be  Still Psalm  xlvi.  10  267 


THE 


GllEAT  TRIBULATION. 

OR, 

THINGS  COMING  ON  THE  EARTH. 


LECTURE  XXI. 

186T. 

ihid  from  the  time  that  the  daily  sacrifice  shall  be 
taken  aioay^  and  the  abomination  that  maketh  deso- 
late set  up^  there  shall  be  a thousand  two  hundred 
and  ninety  days.  Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and 
cometh  to  the  thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and 
thirty  days.^^ — Daniel  xii.  11,  12. 

This  is  a very  diflBcult  passage,  but  we  have  no  right  to 
pass  it  by ; and  if  the  discussion  should  seem  uninterest- 
ing we  must  pardon  the  necessity  of  it,  while  we  accept 
conclusions  only  in  as  far  as  they  seem  borne  out  by 
data.  But  my  discussion  will  be  less  the  expression  of 
opinions  of  my  own,  and  rather  what  I have  been  col- 
lecting during  many  years — the  opinions  and  the  inter- 
pretations of  some  of  the  best,  and  wisest,  and  most 
laborious  men  who  have  given  their  attention  to  this  very 
important  subject.  What  I shall  endeavor  to  show  now 
r (9) 


10 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


is  this,  that  whatever  theories  of  the  fulfilment  of  these 
dates  are  held,  whether  they  fix  the  commencement  at 
tliis  period,  or  at  that  period,  or  at  some  other  period, 
neo-rlj  all  concur  in  one  remarkable  conclusion,  namely, 
that  1867  is  to  be  the  great  crisis,  the  testing  crisis  in 
the  events  of  history,  in  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  and 
in  the  experience  of  mankind.  What  I wish  to  show  is 
that  the  best,  the  wisest,  and  the  most  thoughtful  of 
writers  on  the  subject  of  prophecy,  however  much  they 
may  differ  in  certain  details — and  they  do  differ — nearly 
all  coincide  in  this,  that  1867  is  to  be  a great  crisis; 
and  that  if  all  that  some  expect  to  occur  at  that  period 
do  not  occur,  we  are  at  least  on  the  eve  of  events,  as 
Lord  Carlisle  has  expressed  it  in  his  work  upon  Daniel, 
the  most  stupendous,  if  not  ushering  in  the  very  close  of 
this  present  Christian  economy,  we  must  carefully  weigh 
the  quotations,  that  thus  we  may  be  able  to  judge  whether 
the  data  on  which  these  writers  have  come  to  their  con- 
clusions be  correct  or  not. 

Elliot  and  Mede  have  shown  that  the  2300  years, 
which  Daniel  gives  as  one  of  the  great  chronological 
epochs,  terminate  about  the  year  1821  or  1822 ; that  is, 
dating  them  from  the  march  of  Xerxes,  and  the  meridian 
splendor  of  the  Persian  Empire.  But  a very  learned 
and  able  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  who  has 
written  a work  called  ‘‘  The  Terminal  Synchronism  of 
Daniel’s  Two  Periods,”  differs  from  Mr.  Elliot.  He 
thinks  that  the  2300  years,  one  of  Daniel’s  great  epochs, 
after  which,  as  I showed  you,  the  Eastern  Apostacy,  or 
the  waters  of  the  river  Euphrates  that  should  overflow 


1867. 


11 


^ Europe,  that  is,  the  power  of  Mahomet,  should  begin 

9 to  subside,  began  at  the  autumnal  equinox  of  433  b.  c.  ; 

and  if  the  2300  years  began  at  the  autumnal  equinox 
of  433  B.  c.,  then  that  great  period  would  terminate  in 
the  autumnal  equinox  of  1867.  Elliot’s  opinion  was 
that  the  2300  years  measure  out  the  taking  av/ay  of 
the  daily  sacrifice,  and  the  exhaustion  of  that  great 
eastern  eclipse  which  was  to  overshadow  the  light  and 
the  sunshine  of  heaven  in  the  eastern  world,  and  that 
they  end  in  1821 ; at  which  date  Mahometanism  as  a 
poAver  in  Europe  was  shaken  to  its  centre,  and  began  to 
cross  the  Bosphorus,  and  to  fall  back  upon  its  ancient 
channels  in  Asia,  and  to  cease  to  be  a dominant,  trium- 
phant, and  advancing  fanaticism.  But  this  writer  thinks 
that  the  proper  date  is  433  b.  c.  ; and  if  so,  then  they 
would  terminate  in  1867,  when,  according  to  him,  Ma- 
hometanism will  be  utterly  expunged,  and  the  cross  Avill 
shine  where  the  crescent  now  waves  in  triumph.  But 
more  than  this ; this  writer  thinks  also  that  the  expres- 
sion time,  times,  and  half  a time,”  Avhich  all  commentators 
admit  to  be  360  years,  twice  360  years,  and  180  years, 
making  altogether  1260  years,  called  in  the  Apocalypse 
42  prophetic  months,  which  is  the  same  thing — called 
also  1260  prophetic  days — start  from  A.  D.  607.  Mr. 
Elliot,  and  Newton,  and  Mede,  think  that  the  1260 
years,  descriptive  of  the  great  Western  Apostacy,  began 
at  the  year  532,  at  which  era  Justinian  constituted  the 
Bishop  of  Rome  to  have  supreme  civil,  ecclesiastical, 
and  spiritual  jurisdiction  ; they  consider  that  at  that  pe- 
riod the  Aj^ostacy  was  invested  with  Supreme  civil  and 


12 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


ecclesiastical  power,  and  therefore  with  its  permanent 
form  as  a politico-sacerdotal  system.  But  this  writer 
differs  from  them ; he  says  that  the  1260  years  do  not 
begin  at  532  after  Christ,  but  that  they  begin  at  the  year 
607,  when  the  Emperor  Phocas  constituted  Pope  Boni- 
face III.  the  universal  head  of  the  universal  Church, 
and  the'  supreme  and  chief  bishop,  priest,  and  prelate 
of  Christendom.  If  you  take  this  latter  opinion,  then 
you  add  the  1260  years  to  the  year  607,  and  it  brings 
you  down  to  the  same  period  at  which  his  2300  years 
terminate,  namely,  1867  ; and  according,  therefore,  to 
this  theory,  not  only  will  Mahometanism  totally  cease 
at  that  period,  but  the  Papacy  also,  with  its  pope  and 
its  cardinals,  and  its  whole  ecclesiastical  despotism,  will 
sink  like  a millstone  into  the  depths  of  the  ocean  ; and 
the  world  east  and  west,  emancipated  from  the  incubus 
that  has  crushed  and  darkened  it,  shall  reflect  the  beams 
of  an  unsetting  sun,  and  form  a portion  of  that  greal 
empire  which  constitutes  the  kingdom  of  our  God  and 
of  his  Christ.  I must  say  I prefer  Elliot’s ; but  w^hat 
I wish  to  impress  is  the  remarkable  fact  that  both  in- 
terpretations land  us  in  1867,  as  a great  dominant  era, 
characterized  by  stupendous  events,  and  involving  mighty 
changes  in  the  present  constitution  of  things.  The 
theory  adopted  by  the  interpreters'  I prefer  is  that  the 
1260  years  which  were  to  mete  out  the  dominant  power 
of  the  great  Western  Apostacy  began  in  A.  D.  532,  when 
Justinian  in  his  ‘ Pandects’  gave  the  supreme  authority 
to  the  Bishop  of  Rome.  If  you  add  1260  years  to 
532  it  brings  you  down  to  1792.  Accordingly,  at  the 


1867. 


13 


exhaustion  of  the  1260  years,  in  1792,  the  Papacy, 
according  to  the  description  in  the  word  of  God,  was 
to  come  under  the  judgment  of  Heaven,  and  gradually 
to  be  exhausted.  Read  ‘‘Alison’s  History,”  or  any 
other  authentic  history,  and  you  will  find  that  the  great 
outburst  of  the  French  Revolution  in  1792  commenced 
so  overwhelming  an  onslaught  on  the  Papal  power,  with 
all  its  dependencies,  that  from  that  day  to  this  Roman- 
ism has  been  a dying  system,  exhausted  of  its  chiefest 
vitality,  and  struggling  for  a foothold  in  any  land  to 
which  it  can  have  access ; so  much  so,  that  I have  re- 
peated again  and  again  the  conviction,  that  I have  no 
more  fear  of  Popery  gaining  the  upper  hand,  than  I 
have  of  Mahometanism  or  Hindooism  gaining  supremacy. 
The  Pope  is  on  his  last  legs,  struggling  for  existence ; 
and  the  only  unhappy  feature,  and  the  most  unhappy 
one,  I must  candidly  confess,  is  that  the  only  nation 
upon  earth  where  it  is  gaining  power  amid  the  popula- 
tion is  in  this  land  of  ours.  Among  the  lowest  classes, 
I know,  from  statistics  which  I could  quote  did  time 
permit,  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  is  losing  every  day. 
Among  the  middle  classes  it  never  had  a footing ; but 
among  the  higher  classes  it  is  at  this  moment  daily  gain- 
ing converts.  They  serve  their  apprenticeship  to  gaudi- 
ly decorated  churches,  some  of  which  have  been  recently 
opened ; and  after  they  have  been  saturated  with  homoe- 
pathic  doses  there,  they  finally  hand  themselves  over 
to  the  allopathic  treatment  of  Pio  Nono,  and  become 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  does  seem 
the  most  inexplicable  thing  that  the  peers  of  England, 


14 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


illustrious  many  of  them  for  their  genius,  their  elo- 
quence, their  brilliant  antecedents,  their  resistance  of 
tyranny  in  every  form,  and  their  vindication  of  the 
noblest  rights  of  our  noble  land,  should  any  of  them  be- 
lieve the  monstrous  fables,  and  accept  the  loud  and  inso- 
lent pretensions  of  a system  that  is  indeed  found  in  the 
word  of  God,  but  with  a brand  upon  its  brow,  and  its 
doom  pronounced  before  even  it  came  into  existence.  But 
so  it  is.  We  rejoice  that  the  feet  of  our  nation  are  in 
the  right  way ; the  head,  or  the  upper  classes,  is  bewil- 
dered; but  the  heart  of  old  England  beats  sound  and 
true,  and  you  must  not  judge  by  the  wavering  pulse  at 
the  wrist  of  the  few  that  the  beat  of  England’s  heart 
is  in  any  other  condition  than  its  normal,  its  Protest- 
ant and  Christian  one. 

Assuming  that  532  began  the  1260  years,  what  is  next 
to  take  place,  Daniel  tells  us  in  this  passage,  to  which  I 
specially  ask  attention,  as  confirmatory  of  the  theory  I 
am  trying  to  uphold,  that  first  of  all  there  shall  be  time, 
times,  and  half  a time,  or  1260  years,  and  then  there 
shall  be  1290  years.  In  other  words,  Daniel  says  that 
1260  years  shall  be  augmented  by  30  years  more ; at  the 
end  of  which  30  years  there  shall  be  some  great  event, 
which  we  have  to  ascertain.  Now  if  we  add  to  1792, 
when  the  1260  years  terminated,  an  additional  30  years, 
it  brings  us  down  to  1822.  But  1822  is  the  terminating 
period  of  the  2300  years  also,  according  to  Elliot’s  inter- 
pretation. Well,  did  anything  take  place  in  1822  that 
would  justify  that  period  as  a terminating  epoch?  We 
find  that  Turkey,  in  the  language  of  Lamartine,  began 


1867. 


15 


to  die  for  want  of  Turks  ; the  whole  force  of  that  great 
system  of  propagandism  then  began  its  rapid  exhaustion ; 
and  from  that  day  to  this  even  our  efforts  to  keep  back 
Russia  have  not  kept  up  Turkey;  it  is  at  this  moment  in 
the  pangs  of  dissolution.  I stated  four  or  five  years  ago 
that  it  would  be  so ; and  however  justified  we  were,  and 
we  were  justified  in  trying  to  prevent  Russia  from  dis- 
turbing the  balance  of  the  power  of  Europe ; yet,  as  I 
then  said,  our  efforts  to  preserve  Turkey  would  be  vain. 
Russia  has  still  a sign-board  near  Petersburg,  on  which 
is  written,  ‘‘The  way  to  Constantinople,’’  and  in  the 
lapse  of  years  Constantinople  will  be  hers,  and  Russia 
will  yet  play  a part  in  the  history  of  the  wwld  probably 
unprecedented  for  a thousand  years. 

But  Daniel  says,  “ Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and 
cometh  to  the  thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and  thirty 
days.”  Here  is  still  an  additional  period.  He  adds  75 
years  to  the  1260,  or  45  years  to  the  1290.  He  men- 
tions three  periods,  you  observe,  all  beginning,  we  here 
assume,  at  532;  first  1260,  ending  in  1792;  then  1290, 
ending  in  1822;  and  then  1335,  ending  in  1867;  so 
that,  according  to  this  theory,  Daniel’s  period,  when  he 
shall  be  blessed  or  happy  that  waiteth  and  cometh  to  the 
close  of  the  1335  years,  that  period,  assumed  by  Elliot 
to  be  the  millennial  rest,  would  begin  in  the  year  1867, 
and  last  for  a thousand  years  of  uninterrupted  felicity, 
and  blessedness,  and  peace.  But  what  I wish  to  impress 
is  tliat,  according  to  both  theories,  1867  again  evolves 
as  the  year  of  stupendous  changes.  And  it  is  very  re- 
markable, too,  what  will  confirm  this  and  what  I shall  quote 
passages  to  prove  that  Fines  Clinton,  the  ablest  chronol- 


16 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


ogist  of  the  age,  has  shown,  and  I think  with  irresistible 
force,  that  our  era  at  present,  namely,  1859,  is  not  the 
correct  and  real  era  in  the  chronology  of  the  world.  His 
idea  is  that  Christ  came  about  the  year  of  the  world 
4138;  and  that  in  the  course  of  a few  years  more  we 
shall  have  arrived  at  the  close  of  the  sixth  thousand,  and 
at  the  commencement  of  the  seventh  thousand  year  of 
the  world.  What  it  is  interesting  to  show  in  connection 
with  this  is  the  universal  belief  among  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles, Rabbinists,  Talmudists,  and  Fathers,  that  the  sev- 
enth thousand  year  of  the  world  is  to  correspond  to  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week;  six  days  the  working  week, 
and  the  seventh  day  the  Sabbath-day  rest;  6000  years 
for  the  working  world  week,  and  the  7000th  year  to  be 
what  the  apostle  describes  as  the  rest,  or  the 
that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God. 

Several  extracts  so  far  seem  to  authenticate  and  vindi- 
cate this  conclusion,  and  you  will  take  them  of  course 
for  what  they  are  worth  : First,  Lady  Hester  Stanhope, 
in  a letter  from  Syria  to  her  physician,  in  the  year  1827, 
says,  All  those  who  come  may  go  back  in  the  Turkish 
year,  1245.’*  And  the  physician  adds,  in  a note,  “ It 
would  appear  from  this,  that  Lady  Hester  Stanhope  ex- 
pected the  accomplishment  of  some  great  event  in  the 
year  of  the  Hegira,  1245.’’  The  Hegira  dates  our  year 
622,  add  1245  to  622,  and  we  have  the  year  when  she 
expected  some  stupendous  event,  1867.  The  late  Mr. 
Irving,  deeply  deceived  in  many  things,  extravagant  in 
more,  but  a man  of  splendid  genius,  of  unquestionable 
piety,  the  victim  of  a belief  that  everybody  was  good 
and  great,  and  incapable  of  a suspicion  that  anybody 


1867. 


17 


could  deceive — said,  Not  only  amongst  the  Turks  in 
Europe,  but  all  over  the  E'ast,  the  Mahometan  power  is 
wasting  away ; and  like  all  doomed  things  begins  to  be 
conscious  of  its  approaching  end ; insomuch  that  they  say 
the  Ottoman  Porte  is  paralysed  with  prophecies  of  its 
speedy  ruin.  Is  it  not  so  written,  the  Turks  say,  in  your 
Christian  book,  that  our  religion  is  to  come  to  an  end 
within  forty  years  ? And  what  is  very  remarkable,  a 
friend  of  mine,  who  travelled  lately  into  central  Africa, 
and  stood  on  the  Himalaya  mountains  in  India,  by  the 
holy  pool,  where  never  Christian  had  dwelt  before,  found 
there  also  an  expectation  of  a religion  from  the  west 
which  in  the  space  of  forty  years  was  to  possess  the  earth, 
remarks  which  they  made  to  me  with  their  own  lips.*’ 
Now  the  African  traveller  or  friend  to  whom  he  refers, 
was  Major  Denham  or  Captain  Clapperton;  they  were 
in  Africa  in  the  year  1823 ; and  40  years  added  to  this 
would  bring  us  ‘down  to  1863.  Again  in  another  part 
of  this  book  he  says,  At  the  end  of  the  1335  day  of 
Daniel,  or  in  the  year  1867,  w^hich  is  42  years  from  the 
time  when  I now  write,  the  period  of  blessedness  r#hall 
begin,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  shall  then 
take  place.”  Mr.  Cunningham,  of  Lainshaw,  a man  of 
profound  research  into  prophecy,  writing  in  the  year 
1837,  says,  that  if  the  whole  of  the  evidence  which  he 
adduces  be  considered,  and  carefully  weighed,  he  thinks 
it  will  be  impossible  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  his  dates ; 
and  he  believes  that  we  were  at  that  time,  a little  more 
than  29  years  and  two  months  from  the  end  of  Daniel's 
1335  years ; that  is,  they  would  expire  in  the  year  1867. 
The  author  of  a very  able  and  elaborate  treatise,  called 


18 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


The  Seventh  Vial,”  writes  thus  upon  the  same  sub- 
ject; sooner  had  the  period  of  judgment  passed 

over  Europe  from  1789  to  1815  ended,  than  the  ancient 
landmarks  were  restored.  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming?  came  to  be  the  universal  cry.  He  points  to 
the  year  1865,  when,  according  to  Daniel,  a blessed 
era  shall  begin,  the  millennium  be  ushered  in,  and  the 
complete  destruction  of  Antichrist  shall  then  take  place. 
We  are,  says  that  writer,  “on  the  eve  of  the  long  anti- 
cipated Sabbath  of  rest  and  blessedness.”  And  the  late 
Reverend  Edward  Bickersteth,  one  of  the  most  able, 
pious,  and  spiritually-minded  men  I ever  knew ; and  I 
have  listened  to  him  as  a pupil  with  profit  and  delight 
many  a time,  and  derived  from  his  works  some  of  my 
best  and  most  precious  information — the  uncle  of  the 
present  Bishop  of  Ripon — says,  “If  we  reckon  the  2300 
days  in  Daniel  from  Ezra’s  commission,  b.  c.  457,  they 
would  expire  in  1843 ; but  if  we  reckon  them  as  we 
should,  from  the  last  cleansing  of  Nehemiah  in  B.  c.  433, 
then  they  expire  in  1867,  which  I conceive  to  be  the  pe- 
riod of  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  nation,  the  cleans- 
ing of  the  sanctuary,  and  the  preparations  for  the  mil- 
lennial dawn  and  sunshine.”  I shall  quote  lastly,  from 
one  with  Vvhose  sentiments  in  some  things  I do  not  agree. 
Bishop  Russell,  a Scottish  Bishop ; he  writes  especially 
upon  the  idea,  that  the  7000th  year,  would  be  the  seventh 
millenary,  or  millennial  rest  of  the  world ; and  he 
makes  the  following  most  important  and  valuable  remark : 
“ The  tradition  that  the  earth,  as  well  as  the  religious 
state  of  its  inhabitants,  is  to  undergo  a great  change  at 
the  end  of  6000  years,  has  been  found  in  the  writings  of 


1867. 


19 


Pagans,  Jews,  and  Christians ; because  six  days  were  em- 
ployed by  Almighty  God  in  the  creation  of  the  globe, 
after  which  he  rested  on  the  seventh ; and  as  with  him 
one  day  is  as  a thousand  years,  and  a thousand  years  as 
one  day,  it  was  concluded  by  the  Cabalists  and  Jews, 
that  the  world  was  to  continue  6000  years ; and  on  the 
conclusion  of  this  period  there  would  succeed  a Sabbath 
of  a thousand  years  of  corresponding  length,  a millen- 
nium of  rest  and  of  peace.  This  idea  has  been  traced  in 
the  Sybilline  oracles,  in  the  poems  of  Hesiod,  in  Plato, 
and  prevailed  long  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  relative  to 
a momentous  change  which  is  supposed  to  await  the  earth 
after  a period  not  exceeding  6000  years.  We  find  this 
expectation  expressed  by  the  Chaldeans,  the  Persians, 
the  Egyptians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans;  orators,  poets, 
philosophers;  and  the  only  difficulty  we  experience  in 
the  examination  of  the  records  collected  from  the  litera- 
ture of  ages  is  to  account  for  so  great  unanimity  of  sen- 
timent, where  we  cannot  discover  any  source  of  informa- 
tion or  any  authority  which  so  many  different  writers 
would  consent  to  acknowledge  for  a conclusion  so  remark- 
able.’’ And  he  adds,  Whatever  might  be  the  origin 
of  this  anticipation  so  fondly  cherished  by  J ew  and  Pa- 
gan, before  the  advent  of  our  Savior,  in  regard  to  a hap- 
py change  in  the  constitution  of  things,  it  is  manifest 
that  the  hope  of  such  a consummation  was  not  supersed- 
ed by  Christ’s  residence  upon  the  earth,  and  the  many 
promises  which  he  made  to  his  disciples  in  relation  to  a 
more  perfect  state  of  existence  hereafter : on  the  contra- 
ry, the  first  Christians  looked  with  a more  earnest  desire 
for  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth  promised  to  their 


20 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


fathers ; and  connected  this  expectation  too  with  the  an- 
cient hope  that  this  globe  was  to  undergo  a material 
change  at  the  end  of  6000  years,  throwing  off  all  its 
imperfections,  which  had  arisen  from  the  guilt  of  its  in- 
habitants, and  being  then  made  to  be  the  habitation  of 
justice,  benevolence,  and  purity,  during  a millennium  of 
a thousand  years,  the  Sabbath  of  this  terrestrial  world.” 
I may  just  add  that  a poet — if  one  may  take  a poet’s 
testimony  for  anything,  and  sometimes  the  deep  insight 
of  the  poet  is  truer  than  the  logic  of  the  philosopher — 
the  poet  of  our  firesides,  the  most  beautiful  and  instruc- 
tive of  all,  I mean  Cowper,  says, — 


“ The  grOcOiis  of  nature  in  this  nether  v/orld, 

Which  heaven  has  heard  for  ages  have  an  end, 
Foretold  by  prophets,  and  by  poets  sung, 

Whose  fire  was  kindled  at  the  prophet’s  lamp. 
The  time  of  rest,  the  promised  Sabbath  comes. 

Six  thousand  years  of  sorrow  have  well  nigh 
Fulfilled  their  tardy  and  disastrous  course 
Over  a sinful  world;  and  what  remains. 

Of  this  tempestuous  state  of  human  things. 

Is  merely  as  the  working  of  the  sea 
Before  a calm,  that  rocks  itself  to  rest : 

For  He,  whose  car  the  winds  are,  and  the  clouds 
The  dust  that  waits  upon  His  sultry  march. 

When  sin  hath  moved  Him,  and  His  wrath  is  hot. 
Shall  visit  earth  in  mercy ; shall  descend 
Propitious  in  His  chariot  paved  with  love; 

And  what  His  storms  have  blasted  and  defaced. 
For  man’s  revolt,  shall  with  a smile  repair.” 


Mr.  Scott,  a very  able  writer  upon  prophecy,  states,  in 
his  Outlines  of  Prophecy,” — The  whole  six  days’  work 
of  creation  typifies  the  whole  six  thousand  years  of  the 


186T. 


21 


work  of  redemption  ; and  the  seventh  day,  or  Sabbath  of 
God,  is  the  type  of  that  seventh  thousand  year  of  re- 
demption, the  millennium  or  sabbatism,  that  first  day,  as 
it  were,  of  universal  joy  and  praise  to  Christ.  Almost 
all  writers  on  prophecy  agree  that  the  prophetical  dates 
given  us  terminate  between  this  present  time  and  the 
year  1867/’ 

I have  given  these  extracts  from  competent  authorities, 
all  coming  to  one  conclusion, — that  the  seventh  thousand 
year  of  the  world  is  to  be  its  millennial  rest ; and  I have 
shown  you  that,  if  the  chronology  of  Mr.  Fines  Clinton 
be  correct,  and  I am  satisfied  it  is  correct,  we  are  at  this 
very  moment  within  eight  years  of  the  close  of  the  sixth 
thousand  year,  and  therefore,  if  our  dates  be  right,  within 
eight  years  of  the  commencement  of  what  all  these  writers 
hope  is  the  everlasting  rest,  the  dawn  of  heaven,  the 
millennial  blessedness  of  the  people  of  God  ; when  all 
tears  shall  be  dried — when  all  sorrows  shall  cease — 
when  death  shall  die — and  when  Christ  shall  shine  before 
his  ancients  gloriously ; and  this  world  shall  enjoy  that 
rest  which  has  been  foretold  by  prophets,  celebrated  by 
poets,  anticipated  by  saints,  and  declared  by  an  apostle 
to  be  the  Sabbath-rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of 
God. 

These  are  the  data,  on  which  each  can  form  his  own 
conclusions.  I do  not  venture  to  dogmatise — I do  not 
attempt  to  dictate — I do  not  presume  to  decide.  I have 
shown  that  the  best  and  ablest  Christian  students  are  all 
agreed  that  1867  is  an  era  fraught  with  gigantic  issues  , 
that  some  think  it  is  the  commencement  of  the  millen- 
nial rest;  others  think  it  is  the  destruction  of  all  the 


22 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


errors  whose  roots  are  struck  deep  into  our  world,  and 
the  universal  spread  of  the  empire  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace.  Then,  if  these  things  be  so,  we  look  at  Europe, 
at  this  moment,  with  intense  and  awful  interest.  No 
one  can  reflect  upon  the  last  ten  years  without  seeing 
that  they  have  been  ten  years  of  unprecedented  events 
in  the  history  of  the  world  and  of  mankind.  No  one 
can  look  upon  Europe  at  this  moment  without  feeling  that 
it  is  scarcely  a sleeping  volcano  : Russia  coming  from  its 
snows ; Germany  aroused  to  its  very  heart ; the  proud 
and  victorious  Napoleon,  so  far  alive  to  the  cause  of 
righteousness,  and  liberty,  and  peace  ; our  own  country 
employing  all  the  genius  of  its  statesmen,  of  every  side 
and  every  party,  to  stave  off  the  tides  of  war  from  touch- 
ing our  own  peaceful  shores ; — and  yet  all  things  lead- 
ing us  to  fear  that  we  shall  not  finally  (though  for  a 
season  we  may)  escape  the  terrible  conflict,  but  all 
prophecy  leading  us  to  hope  that  England  will  be  spared 
in  the  wreck  of  nations.  Her  banners  may  be  torn ; but 
she  will  we  hope  survive,  for  she  separated  at  the  great 
Reformation,  from  the  Ten  Kingdoms  of  the  Papacy  that 
are  now  coming  under  the  judgments  of  Heaven ; and 
I believe,  therefore — and  I am  refreshed  and  delighted 
while  I express  the  belief — tliat  old  England’s  sun  will 
have  no  western  setting  in  the  horizon  till  its  beams  min- 
gle with  the  beams  of  that  Sun,  beneath  whose  wings  is 
healing,  and  in  whose  presence  there  is  light  and  liberty 
for  the  nations  of  the  earth.  But  what  does  all  this  teach  us 
now?  Suppose  I had  proved  to  you,  to  demonstration, 
tliat  1867  was  to  close  this  present  era.  Some  will  say. 
Oh  ! then  we  had  better  not  insure  our  livjs — we  had 


1867. 


23 


better  not  take  leases — we  had  better  do  nothing ; but 
fling  everything  oflF,  and  let  society  go  to  ruin.  I say, 
No.  What  is  the  Lord’s  command?  ‘‘Occupy  till  I 
come.”  What  is  the  condition  of  the  people  when  he 
comes?  “ Two  shall  be  grinding  in  a mill ; the  one  shall 
be  taken,”  that  is,  one  a Christian,  “ and  the  other  left.” 
What  does  that  teach  us  ? That  our  duties  are  deter- 
mined by  God’s  plain  precepts ; they  are  not  to  be  modi- 
fied by  any  of  his  prophecies,  however  clear.  The  pro- 
phecy I read  for  comfort — the  precept  I read  for  direction. 
And,  therefore,  when  people  say,  we  act  inconsistently — 
as  it  was  said  not  very  long  ago  by  caricaturists  and  others 
in  the  papers — that,  because  I took  the  lease  of  a house, 
therefore  I did  not  believe  these  conclusions,  I answer 
that  if  I thought  it  would  be  for  my  interest  or  advan- 
tage, or  the  advantage  of  my  family,  I would  take  a 
house  for  a hundred  years’  lease  to-morrow.  I have 
nothing  to  do  with  prophecy  in  determining  my  duties — 
they  are  to  be  determined  by  God’s  precepts  and  by 
common  sense  ; and  if  I believed  that  1867  were  to  end 
the  present  economy  of  things,  I should  have  my  hand 
equally  busy  in  my  work.  I would  bid  the  soldier  ap- 
pear in  the  ranks,  the  merchant  in  his  counting-house, 
the  senator  in  the  parliament — every  man  at  his  post ; 
for  the  post  of  duty  is  always  the  place  of  safety  before 
God  and  in  the  sight  of  all  mankind.  But  whilst  our 
hands  should  be  at  duty,  our  hearts  should  be  more  than 
ever  in  heaven.  Some  people  say.  Oh  ! how  shocking, 
how  terrible,  that  the  world  is  to  end  ! Why,  how  shock- 
ing, how  terrible,  that  you  may  die  to-morrow  ! I might 
say,  how  shocking,  that  the  aged  of  sixty  has  only  some 


24 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


fifteen  years  to  live,  on  an  average.  Death,  to  the  indi- 
vidual, is  just  as  solemn  as  the  close  of  this  economy  to 
the  whole  world  : but  there  is  nothing  shocking  in  it.  Our 
Savior  does  not  so  construe  it ; for  what  does  he  say  ? 

When  ye  see  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,’^ 
What ! be  terrified — be  alarmed — resign  your  duties  ? 
No,  no,  no.  The  Bible  is  too  rich  in  common-sense  : 

Lift  up  your  heads,  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh.” 
And  wLo  can  possibly  regret  the  probable  nearness  of 
such  a consummation  ? What  will  it  be  ? The  end  of 
sin — the  emancipation  of  the  oppressed — the  extinction 
of  war — the  return  of  earth’s  ancient  glory — the  resto- 
ration of  all  the  blessedness  we  have  lost — a peace  that 
passeth  understanding — no  more  quarrels,  no  more  mis- 
apprehensions, no  more  sins,  no  more  sorrows.  Instead 
of  dreading  the  advent  of  so  glorious  an  epoch,  with  all 
our  hearts  we  should  pray,  as  from  the  heart  I do,  Come, 
Lord  Jesus  ; yea,  come  quickly.” 


LECTURE  XXIL 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 

The  Germans  call  a burial-ground  God’s  Acre.”  The 
prophet  describes  its  harvest  in  these  words — 

And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth 
shall  awake^  some  to  everlasting  life^  and  some  to 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt. — Daniel  xii.  2. 

This  is  one  of  the  things  coming  on  the  earth.  The 
resurrection  of  the  dead  is  the  corollary  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ;  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  sleep.  I 
need  scarcely  add,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  was  never 
dreamed  of  by  the  heathen.  Even  those  who  believed  in 
* the  immortality  of  the  soul  never  ventured  to  anticipate 
the  restoration  of  the  body.  When  Paul  preached  at 
Athens  to  the  most  enlightened  and  cultivated  audience 
that  ever  listened  to  a sermon,  the  idea  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  seemed  so  utterly  untenable,  that  they, 
like  philosophers,  laughed  to  scorn  the  eloquent  but  fear- 
less preacher  of  it.  This  being  so,  it  is  evident  that  the 
doctrine  is  not  the  discovery  of  man,  nor  the  guess  of 
transcendent  genius ; but  simply  and  wholly  the  revela- 
tion of  God.  We  are  indebted  to  the  disclosures  of  the 
New  Testament  and  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  for  this 
great  truth,  that  the  body  is  immortal  just  as  truly  as  the 
soul. 


2 


(25) 


26 


THE  HARVEST  OE  THE  EARTH. 


We  are  very  prone  to  lose  sight  of  this  doctrine  ; and 
justly  impressed  with  the  importance  and  magnificence 
of  the  soul’s  safety,  we  give  up  the  body  as  if  Satan  had 
justly  earned  it,  and  had  an  indefeasible  right  to  its  pos- 
session. But  that  is  not  so.  If  it  be  true  that  the  dead 
in  Christ  shall  rise,  then  we  may  look  forward  to  that 
blessed  hope  just  as  truly,  and  wdth  as  rich  consolation, 
as  that  with  which  we  look  upward  to  the  assurance  that 
absent  from  the  body  we  shall  be  present  with  the  Lord.” 
And  certainly  there  is  a feeling  in  human  nature  that 
makes  one  wonder  the  heathen  never  guessed  it.  The 
thought  is  most  withering,  if  it  be  true,  that  the  face  that 
gladdened  our  home  with  its  sunshine  has  gone  into  the 
shadow  of  the  grave  for  ever ; that  the  accents  that 
were  music  to  our  ear  are  hushed  for  ever;  that  the  dear 
friend  that  we  took  counsel  and  walked  to  the  house  of 
God  together  wdth  we  shall  never  see  again ; or  if  we 
- come  into  contact  with  him,  it  wdll  be  in  a spiritual,  dis- 
embodied state,  of  which  we  have  now  no  just  or  real  con- 
ception. But  when  we  read  in  the  Bible  that  the  body  is 
merely  resting  like  raiment  folded  up  in  the  great  ward- 
robe of  humanity,  the  grave  ; that  it  is  there  superintend- 
ed by  Him  that  made  it,  just  as  the  soul  is  superintended 
in  heaven,  and  that  there  is  not  an  atom  of  its  dust  that 
shall  not  again  rise  ; new  light  is  cast  upon  the  grave,  new 
splendors  upon  the  hopes  of  the  Christian  ; and  he  feels 
that  those  snatched  from  him  on  this  side  the  grave  he 
shall  meet  again,  and  know  even  as  he  is  known. 

Now  in  trying  to  illustrate  a subject  by  some  few  re- 
marks on  which  I have  often  spoken  and  written,  let  me 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


27 


show  first  of  all  that  the  resurrection  of  the  body  is  pos- 
sible ; secondly,  that  the  resurrection  of  the  body  is  prob- 
able ; and  thirdly,  that  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  as 
the  last  step,  is  absolutely  certain ; and  then  I will  turn 
your  attention  to  the  time  of  it,  the  nature  of  it,  and  the 
results  of  it. 

The  resurrection  of  the  body  is  possible.  It  seems  at 
first  altogether  absurd  to  expect  that  the  dust  that  is 
deposited  in  the  depths  of  the  silent  sea ; or  that  has 
been  scattered  by  the  winds,  and  incorporated  into  the 
grass  that  grows  in  the  field,  and  the  heath  that  blossoms 
in  the  desert ; or  that  has  gone  into  other  organisms,  and 
going  into  them  has  constituted  part  and  parcel  of  a 
wholly  different  and  almost  antagonistic  nature ; can 
really  be  re-collected,  re-organised,  re-constituted  in 
beauty,  in  glory,  and  perfection.  This  demands,  the 
sceptic  would  say,  very  great  credulity;  the  scientific 
man  would  add  the  abjuration  of  the  first  principles  of 
science  ; but  the  Christian  says,  I can  see  the  shadow 
of  its  possibility;  and  if  I see  that,  I may  be  able  to 
take  a step  farther,  and  admit  its  probability ; and  if  I 
ascertain  that,  I may  take  a step  farther,  and  say  it  is 
absolutely  certain.  What  is  the  evidence  of  this  possi- 
bility ? God  is  omnipotent ; I do  not  dwell  upon  that 
fact  now — a fact,  admitting  which,  we  must  admit  all 
that  is  pledged  and  promised  to  follow.  But  is  there  now 
greater  impossibility,  if  you  will  allow  such  a strange 
expression,  in  calling  those  shining  orbs  in  the  sky  out  of 
nothing  into  brightness,  beauty,  harmony,  and  order; 
or  in  lighting  up  the  sun  with  his  inexhaustible  splen- 
dor, or  in  giving  the  laws  that  regulate  all  his  depend- 


28 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATIOX. 


ent  satellites  and  servants,  while  the  capital  to  draw  on 
is  nothing  ; and  yet  the  result  is  magnificent  and  gor- 
geous beyond  all  power  of  description  and  language  to 
express.  It  does  seem  not  at  least  more  difficult  to  col- 
lect atoms  that  are  only  disintegrated,  than  it  is  to  make 
orbs  where  there  are  none;  it  is  surely  not  more  difficult 
to  gather  the  scattered  fragments  of  humanity  each  out 
of  its  hiding-place  than  it  is  to  create  worlds,  and  angels, 
and  souls,  and  bodies  out  of  nothing.  I cannot  see  that 
there  is  required  a greater  amount  of  power  to  collect  the 
broken  fragments  on  the  battle-field,  and  rebuild  them 
into  beauty  and  perfection,  than  to  create  these  bodies  of 
ours,  so  exquisitely  and  artistically  made,  out  of  nothing 
at  all.  So  far  then  it  does  seem  at  least  possible.  It 
is  possible  on  this  ground ; that  we  see  individual  instan- 
ces by  way  of  facts,  precedents,  and  prefigurations.  Laz- 
arus was  dead  three  days,  and  buried  ; the  fingers  of 
decay  were  beginning  to  draw  their  outlines  upon  every 
part  of  his  dead  and  cold  organization.  Jesus  said, 
•^Lazarus,  come  forth.’’  Instantly  the  warm  tide  of  life 
circulated  through  every  vein  and  artery,  and  he  came 
forth  and  mingled  with  the  ranks  of  living  men.  So 
with  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Nain.  So  at  the  Redeem- 
er’s own  death,  we  read  as  a fact,  that  the  buried  dead 
of  a thousand  years  burst  from  the  grave  that  imprisoned 
them,  and  arose  and  ascended  into  heaven.  And,  there- 
fore, if  we  have  one  instance  of  a resurrection,  I do  not 
see  Vf  by  we  may  not  have  ten  thousand ; and  the  possi- 
bility is  establisbed  by  one  instance  just  as  much  as  by 
the  countless  harvest  of  the  resurrection  morn  itself 
But  grant  that  the  capital  wo  draw  on  to  accomplish  the 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


29 


result  is  Omnipotence,  tli^re  are  no  difficulties  at  all; 
it  not  only  becomes  possible,  but  it  amounts  to  certainty, 
if  God  has  said  it.  For  what  is  Omnipotence  ? It  can 
do  anything  that  is  merely  physical.  There  are  some 
things  that  Omnipotence  cannot  do : it  is  said  Omnipo- 
tence cannot  lie  ; it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie.  But 
there  is  nothing  physical,  however  difficult,  that  cannot 
be  done,  if  the  capital  on  which  you  draw  for  the  accom- 
plishment be  the  Omnipotence  of  God.  For  what  is  the 
very  definition  of  Omnipotence  ? Power  to  do  anything 
in  the  world,  anything  in  the  universe,  except  what  con- 
tradicts the  moral  laws  that  holiness  has  laid  down. 

Having  seen  that  it  is  possible,  let  me  show  that  it  is 
highly  probable.  First,  if  the  soul  is  to  be  rewarded 
as  washed  in  a Savior’s  blood,  and  believing  in  a Savior’s 
sacrifice,  it  does  seem  highly  probable  that  the  body 
that  shared  in  its  sorrows  and  its  joys,  its  sunshine  and 
its  shadow,  its  tears  and  its  smiles,  so  fearfully  and  won- 
derfully made,  should,  having  shared  in  the  sorrow,  be 
made  partaker  of  the  joy  into  which  the  soul  enters 
throughout  everlasting  ages.  It  would  be  a very  sad 
thing  that  this  body  of  ours,  this  wonderful  mechanism, 
should  be  yielded  to  the  devil ; and  that  though  Christ 
has  redeemed  the  soul,  Satan  should  have  ruined  the 
body,  and  be  able  to  quote  it  forever  as  a trophy  of  his 
success  in  Paradise.  I do  not  believe  that  such  a result 
is  consistent  with  God’s  great  law.  I do  not  believe 
that  a single  soul  in  the  realms  of  the  lost  will  be  there 
because  Satan  succeeded  in  Paradise ; or  that  a soul  will 
be  lost  because  of  Adam’s  sin  : the  whole  ruin  of  the 
lost  is  a rejected  or  neglected  Savior ; raid  the  whole 


30 


THE  GKEAT  TRIBULATION. 


salvation  of  the  saved  is  Christ,  and  Christ  alone,  all 
their  salvation  and  all  their  desire.  Judging,  first  of 
all,  from  the  fact  that  the  body  has  shared  with  the  soul 
in  its  troubles,  and  naturally  expecting  that  it  should 
share  with  the  soul  in  its  triumphs — judging  from  the 
fact  that  man  is  soul  and  body,  and  that  the  redemption 
of  the  one  without  the  redemption  of  the  other  would 
be  but  a half  salvation — recollecting,  too,  God’s  own  de- 
scription of  this  exquisite  shrine,  the  temple  of  humani- 
ty; and  believing  that"  Satan  will  not  be  able  to  quote 
for  ever  one  single  trophy  of  his  success — I hold  that 
it  is  highly  probable  from  these  considerations  alone 
that  the  body  will  be  raised  just  as  the  soul  will  be  re- 
deemed. 

But  to  strengthen  this  probability,  we  find  analogies 
in  our  world  that  are  very  striking.  I do  not  say  that 
any  or  all  of  these  analogies  prove  the  resurrection ; 
for  if  analogies  would  have  proved  it,  the  disciples  in 
the  midst  of  the  garden  of  Arimathea,  in  an  eastern 
country,  where  spring  does  not  come  in  as  in  our  cold 
climate — slight  sunshine  to-day,  a shower  of  hail  to-mor- 
row,— but  where  spring  bursts  upon  the  earth  with  all 
its  beauty  and  in  all  its  blossom ; would  have  gathered 
from  this  that  Christ  would  rise,  if  analogies  were  valid 
and  competent  reasons,  but  they  did  not.  Yet  these 
analogies,  while  they  are  not  reasons,  may  constitute 
prefigurations,  and  may  strengthen  the  probability  that 
I am  now  trying  to  establish.  For  instance,  spring  break- 
ing forth  from  the  depths  of  winter,  and  the  flowers 
bursting  from  the  cold  and  repulsive  roots  and  stems; 
the  seeds  cast  into  the  earth,  germinating  and  growing 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


31 


up  into  leaf  and  beautiful  blossom;  the  silk-worm  en- 
tering its  prison,  and  emerging  again  a different  creature ; 
the  butterfly  in  its  chrysalis  state  so  repulsive,  when  it 
floats  like  a flower  upon  the  air  so  truly  beautiful,  are 
all  surely  in  their  way  prefigurations  of  the  possibility, 
prefigurations  and  shadows  of  the  probability,  that  a 
change  such  as  we  are  speaking  of  from  the  contents  of 
the  grave  to  a body  no  longer  corruptible,  but  incorrupti- 
ble ; no  longer  mortal,  but  immortal,  is  highly  probable, 
to  say  the  very  least.  The  swallow  returning  by  an 
instinct  so  exquisite  as  if  it  heard  the  footfall  of  the 
approaching  summer ; all  creation  seeming  anxious  to 
burst  forth  into  leaf  and  blossom,  as  if  under  some  mys- 
terious touch;  furnish  a contrast  between  the  winter 
that  precedes  and  the  summer  that  follows,  not  greater 
than  the  contrast  between  the  body  in  the  grave  and 
the  body  in  the  kingdom  of  glory ; and  therefore  that 
these  analogies,  so  true,  to  a great  extent  strengthen  and 
confirm  what  I am  trying  to  establish — the  probability  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  body. 

But  I add  what  settles  all  disputes,  it  .is  absolutely 
certain.  To  a humble  Christian,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,’’ 
is  worth  all  the  fine  similes,  the  beautiful  figures,  and 
the  most  exquisite  analogies  that  poet  can  weave  into 
song,  or  preacher  can  quote  in  his  sermon.  For  what 
do  we  read  ? — ^‘The  hour  is  coming,”  and  this  is  from 
the  lips  of  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,  when  all 
that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son 
of  man,  and  shall  come  forth  ; they  that  have  done  good 
to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil 
to  the  resurrection  of  condemnation.”  And  in  that  beau- 


32 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


tiful  passage  in  Thessalonians,  For  if  we  believe  that 
Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  so  them  that  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  him  ; for  the  Lord  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  arch- 
angel and  the  trump  of  God,  and  the  dead  in  Christ 
shall  rise  first/’  Thus  faithfulness  has  promised  it,  om- 
nipotence waits  on  faithfulness  to  execute  its  promise  ; 
and  it  is  not  only  probable  but  absolutely  certain  that 
this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality,  this  corruptible  in- 
corruption, and  death  shall  be  swallowed  up  in  victory. 

Having  thus  tried  to  show  these  three  points,  let  us 
inquire  what  are  some  of  the  lessons  that  are  taught  by 
this  event  coming  on  the  earth.  First  of  all,  the  great 
end  of  the  resurrection  is  to  complete  the  triumphs  pur- 
chased on  the  cross.  That  cross  has  ransomed  every 
soul  that  rests  upon  it  for  forgiveness ; and  that  resur- 
rection has  guaranteed  that  along  with  that  ransomed 
soul  the  body  shall  rise  from  the  dead  and  reign  wdth 
Christ  in  glory.  I have  therefore  not  the  least  doubt 
that  every  eye  of  every  believer  shall  see  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God;  that  every  tongue  that  chants  his  praise 
from  the  heart  upon  earth  shall  chant  it  in  heaven; 
and  that  every  ear  that  listens  to  the  preached  word  here 
shall  listen  to  all  the  triumphant  songs  of  praise  in  that 
better  world ; and  that  we  shall  enter  into  heaven  not  a 
maimed  humanity,  but  soul  and  body,  and  so  be  for  ever 
with  the  Lord.  In  the  second  place,  I look  upon  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  as  designed  to  perpetuate  the 
human  race.  If  souls  only  are  admitted  into  heaven, 
they  would  be  angels ; but  soul  and  body,  as  I have  told 
you,  constitute  man ; and  therefore  there  will  be  in 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


33 


heaven  not  angels  only,  but  glorified  humanity.  If  the 
body  were  not  raised,  this  remarkable  creature  man  would 
cease  ; after  the  lapse  of  a few  thousand  years  he  would 
finally  disappear.  But  believing  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  body  as  well  as  the  redemption  of  the  soul,  there 
will  be  in  heaven  and  throughout  the  endless  ages  of 
eternity  eyes  to  see,  tongues  to  sing,  ears  to  hear,  hearts 
to  throb,  reasons  to  discuss,  memories  to  recollect,  and 
imaginations  to  body  forth  in  all  their  magnificence,  the 
glories  of  everlasting  day. 

This  resurrection  of  the  body  will  be  intended  to  show 
forth  the  glory  and  the  greatness  of  the  victory  obtained 
over  death  by  our  blessed  Lord  ; when  the  grave  received 
him,  as  it  supposed,  as  a prisoner,  it  found  it  had  received 
into  its  bosom  its  vanquisher  and  conqueror.  The  great- 
est glory  shall  be  devolved  upon  Christ,  the  completest 
blow  will  be  struck  at  death,  and  sin,  and  Satan,  and 
the  grave,  when  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise.  What  a grand  spectacle  ! Some  day 
we  shall  be  startled  by  a royal  sound  that  will  ring  from 
earth  to  heaven,  and  reverberate  from  heaven  to  earth, 
and  penetrate  all  graves,  and  pierce  the  stony  pyramids, 
and  waken  its  echoes  in  the  most  sequestered  cells  of  the 
weeping  and  the  hopeless  captives ; and  the  moment  that 
sound  shall  be  heard  the  green  sod  shall  roll  itself  away 
from  covering  its  sacred  contents ; monuments  of  bronze 
and  mausoleums  of  marble  shall  rend  and  split  as  beneath 
a mysterious  stroke;  the  ancient  pyramids  shall  open 
their  stony  chambers,  and  the  proud  Pharaohs  shall  come 
forth  as  humbly  and  obediently  as  the  meanest  slaves 
from  the  canals  in  which  they  perished  ; and  not  one 


34 


THE  GHEAT  TRIBULATION. 


human  being,  whether  good  or  bad,  shall  fail  to  hear  that 
sound.  And  the  stormy  ocean,  whose  waves  have  sung 
the  requiem  of  many  a gallant  sailor ; and  battle-fields ; 
and  sand-drifts  in  the  desert,  shall  all  open  and  disclose 
their  dead  ; and  the  very  dust  beneath  our  feet  shall  be- 
come animate  ; and  a sight  will  be  witnessed  at  that  day, 
I solemnly  believe,  more  magnificent,  stupendous,  and 
impressive,  than  when  God  called  worlds  out  of  nothing 
into  being,  and  said,  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was 
light.’’  I have  a strong  presentiment  or  impression,  that 
each  individual  called  at  that  day  will  hear  his  name. 
When  Jesus  raised  Lazarus,  he  said  Lazarus,  come 
forth.”  And  there  is  something  very  beautiful  in  the 
thought,  that  the  name  that  was  given  you  in  baptism 
shall  be  heard  as  an  under-tone  in  the  sound  of  the  re- 
surrection-trumpet ; and  that  you  personally  will  be  ad- 
dressed, and  that  you  personally  will  feel  this  mortal  put 
on  immortality,  and  this  corruptible  incorruptibility ; 
leaving  behind  you  in  the  grave  only  what  contaminated 
and  defiled ; and  appearing  no  more  in  the  clinging  gar- 
ments of  corruption,  but  in  bridal  robes,  in  coronation 
dress,  in  the  shining  white  raiment,  washed  and  made 
clean  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

When  is  the  time  of  this  resurrection?  We  are  told 
Christ  shall  descend  with  a shout,  and  the  dead  in  Christ 
shall  rise  first.  The  time  of  it  is  when  Christ  comes. 
When  that  shall  be,  the  day  and  the  hour  knoweth  no 
man.  But  we  are  told  by  the  blessed  Saviour  that  vie 
are  not  to  overlook,  nor  to  be  insensible  to  the  signs  of 
the  age  in  which  we  live.  Most  people  feel — you  cannot 
fail  reading  it  in  every  journal,  hearing  it  in  every  con- 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


35 


versation,  noticing  it  in  books — that  we  live  in  an  age 
unprecedented  for  its  intensity,  its  triumphs,  its  energy, 
and  in  some  respects  for  its  disintegration  and  dislocation 
in  all  its  moral,  political,  and  social  aspects.  Now  I do 
not  exaggerate,  I am  sure,  when  I say  that  there  has 
been  compressed  into  the  last  ten  years  more  than  has 
been  compressed  into  the  last  two  hundred  years ; and 
that  things  that  used  to  take  centuries  to  ripen  in,  are 
now  developed,  and  ripened,  and  finished  in  a week,  a 
month,  or  a single  year.  Wars,  rumors  of  Avars,  arc  tlie 
features  of  the  day.  Ask  the  most  thinking  men — do 
not  believe  a preacher,  Avho  knoAA's  nothing  of  political 
and  national  topics — but  ask  the  most  thinking  men,  an^ 
they  will  tell  you,  that  all  Europe  at  this  moment  heaAT.s 
Avith  hidden  fires ; that  soon,  and  I have  no  doubt  sooner 
than  most  think,  the  next  shock  of  the  great  earthquake 
of  1848  Avill  be  felt,  and  the  soil  of  Europe  trembles  be- 
neath the  beat  of  the  feet  of  millions  ; and  men’s  hearts  lit- 
erally fail  them  for  fear  of  the  things  that  are  coming  on 
the  earth.  Take  the  last  few  years — dislocation  of  com- 
merce, dislocation  of  party,  disorganization  of  churches ; 
kings  seated,  many  of  them  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
on  their  thrones,  and  doubting  hoAv  long  they  Avill  be  the 
occupants  of  them ; the  nations,  as  if  stored  Avith  com- 
bustible matter,  and  men  afraid  to  tread  too  harshly,  lest 
the  spark  be  struck  that  will  explode  them  ; eA^erything 
indicating  just  that  A^ery  portrait  Avhich  I sketched  to  you 
in  1847  and  1848  in  lectures  in  Exeter  Hall,  Avhich  [ 
have  often  tried  to  tell  you  since  ; and  every  one  of  the 
statements  of  which  you  Avill  find,  if  you  Avill.look  over 
them,  are  being  fulfilled  in  Avhat  is  passing  before  you. 


36 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


But  what  should  all  this  be  to  us  ? Suppose  the  earth  be 
convulsed ; suppose  kingdoms  like  ships  on  a tempestu- 
ous ocean  be  dashed  against  each  other,  or  scattered  like 
drift-wood  upon  its  waves ; suppose  the  kings  of  the  earth 
tremble  ; suppose  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  multiply,  till 
England’s  firesides  become  each  a scene  of  weeping  and 
of  sorrow,  we  can  yet  fall  back  on  the  magnificent  convic- 
tion, The  Lord  reigneth.”  The  severest  storm  is  near- 
est the  everlasting  calm  ; and  the  time  of  greatest  trouble 
nearest  the  resurrection,  and  the  restoration  of  all  that 
believe  in  and  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  prophet, 
from  whom  I have  taken  the  subject  of  these  thoughts, 
tells  us  in  fact,  that  at  this  very  time  when  those  that 
sleep  in  their  graves  shall  awake — shall  Michael  stand 
up,  the  great  prince  which  standeth  for  the  children  of  thy 
people ; and  there  shall  be  a time  of  trouble,  such  as 
never  was  since  there  was  a nation  even  to  that  same  time  ; 
and  at  that  time  thy  people” — that  is,  the  Jews— shall 
be  delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found  written  in  the 
book.”  And  then  at  that  time  many  of  them  that  sleep 
in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting 
life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt.”  If 
w^e  be  Christians,  however  much  we  may  grieve  over  the 
sorrows  and  the  sufferings  of  others,  we  have  only  for  our- 
selves the  blessed  hope,  the  glorious  prospect  of  immor- 
tality and  happiness ; where  there  shall  be  no  more  sin, 
nor  shame,  nor  sorrow,  nor  disappointment,  nor  grief,  nor 
sickness,  nor  disease;  but  all  things  shall  be  made  new. 
What  shall  be  the  character  of  these  bodies  that  shall  be 
raised  at  that  day  ? They  will  be  as  they  are  now — im- 
perfection, the  traces  of  disease  and  sin  excepted.  I be- 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


37 


lieve  that  all  that  constitutes  individuality,  all  that  con- 
stitutes idiosyncrasy,  all  that  we  know  as  that  which  is 
the  man,  will  be  raised.  I admit  what  physiologists  state 
— that  every  seven  years  every  particle  in  our  body  is 
dislodged  ; I admit  that  fully — but  yet  they  must  admit, 
what  common  sense  sees,  that  the  man  that  you  knew 
twenty  years  ago  looks  the  same  man  still.  His  hair  may 
be  whitened,  the  wrinkles  on  his  face  may  be  multiplied  ; 
the  furrows  on  his  brow  as  if  they  were  trying  to  crowd 
his  history  into  that  forehead,  may  seem  closer  and  com- 
pacter  together — but  still,  some  way  or  another,  there  is 
the  man ; there  remains  something  that  is  his  idiosyncrasy, 
and  that  constitutes  identity.  Well ! that  shall  be  raised  ; 
all  imperfection,  all  disease,  all  sin,  all  traces  of  decay, 
eliminated  and  left  behind  ; and  all  that  is  requisite  to 
constitute  identity  so  complete,  that  the  mother  shall 
know  the  babe  she  lost  in  infancy,  the  father  the  child, 
the  child  the  parent,  the  brother  the  sister,  and  the  sister 
the  brother ; all  shall  know  each  other.  Is  there  not 
also  some  suggestive  analogy  here  ? Do  we  not  see  every- 
thing in  this  world  striving  after  perfection?  We  con- 
stantly see,  as  we  look  around  us,  that  our  earth,  just 
like  ourselves,  is  under  a repressive  curse.  What  does 
the  apostle  say  ? ^ ^ All  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth 

in  pain,  waiting  to  be  delivered ; waiting  for  the  adoption 
of  the  sons  of  God;  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  the  body.’’ 
Here  is  his  statement  that  all  creation  groans  and  travails. 
Why  ? It  is  under  a repressive  curse  ; and  I believe  that 
what  we  see  now  in  this  earth,  in  ourselves,  in  flower,  in 
tree,  a fruit,  is  only  a dim  earnest  of  the  beauty  and 
magnificence  that  will  be  when  that  repressive  curse  shall 


38 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


be  withdrawn.  God  sometimes  gives  to  man  comforting 
prefigurations  of  what  will  be.  For  instance,  who  would 
believe  that  the  exquisite  rose  in  the  garden,  the  loveliest 
and  the  most  fragrant  flower  in  it,  is  simply  the  common 
wild  hedge-rose,  cultivated  by  man  till  it  attains  that  ex- 
cellence ! What  does  that  prove  ? That  there  are  in 
that  wild  hedge-rose  possibilities  of  beauty  repressed,  that 
man  can  in  some  slight  degree  bring  out,  but  which  under 
millennial  suns  will  burst  into  a beauty  and  magnificence 
that  eye  hath  not  seen,  and  that  man  has  never  before 
conceived.  So  we  see  in  this  world  of  ours  everything 
at  this  moment  striving  after  perfection ; the  rock  seeking 
• to  culminate  in  the  exquisite  and  beautiful  crystal ; the 
tree  bursting  into  the  fragrant  and  beautiful  blossom ; all 
things  striving  after  and  stretching  up  to  a perfection — as 
if  nature  had  in  her  heart,  some  strong  presentiment  of  a 
coming  restoration,  and  tried  to  anticipate  the  era  by  now 
and  then  letting  forth  signs  of  the  buried  treasures  that 
are  in  her  bosom.  And  what  a beautiful  orb  will  this  be, 
and  how  blest  its  inhabitants,  when  all  sin  shall  flee  like  a 
shadow,  and  the  light  of  an  unsetting  sun  shall  shine  on 
it,  or  rather  the  light  of  that  world  which  has  no  need  of 
the  sun,  but  where  the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb 
are  the  glory  of  it ! What  a bright  and  glorious  orb, 
and  what  a happy  and  blessed  tenantry  will  occupy  it  for 
ever  ! I need  not  tell  you  that  all  this  points  to  a con- 
clusion I have  tried  before  to  establish — that  the  earth  is 
redeemed  just  as  well  as  man’s  body.  • I believe  in  a re- 
surrection of  this  globe  of  ours  just  as  I do  in  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body ; and  it  is  on  the  same  ground  that 
we  have  no  more  reason  to  s^  ppose  that  the  devil  shall  get 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  "EARTH. 


89- 


this  earth  as  his  prize,  than  that  he  will  get  our  bodies  as 
his  property.  We  can  well  conceive  what  a fair  orb  this 
will  be.  At  this  moment  it  has  glens,  and  mountains, 
and  valleys,  and  landscapes,  that  show  how  much  remains 
of  its  Eden  magnificence ; and  that  give  token  what  it 
may  become  when  all  things  are  made  new.  And  I havo 
no  doubt,  when  this  earth  is  restored,  and  resurrection 
bodies  shall  be  its  tenantry,  that  the  rest  of  the  orbs  of 
the  sky  that  never  fell,  as  they  gaze  down  upon  their  re- 
covered, once  fallen  but  now  restored  sister,  will  not  only 
say,  but  shout  and  sing — It  is  meet  that  we  should  re- 
joice, for  this  our  lost  sister  orb  is  found,  this  our  dead 
sister  world  at  length  is  made  alive.” 

We  are  now  in  this  world,  I believe,  laying  the  out- 
lines of  our  resurrection  bodies.  Did  it  ever  .strike  you 
that  a man  can  almost  be  deciphered  from  his  face  ? I 
believe  very  much  with  Socrates  of  old,  that  the  face 
is  to  the  inner  moral  and  mental  economy  very  much 
what  the  dial  is  to  the  clock.  Is  a man  sensual,  depraved, 
debased?  You  can  read  it  on  his  countenance.  Take  a 
man  of  ambitious  passions.  You  can  trace  the  shadows 
of  them  on  his  face.  Take  a Christian  ; and  you  can  see 
on  his  brow  that  is  without  wrinkle,  in  the  expression  that 
is  without  hesitation — in  the  whole  mannerism  of  the  man 
— that  he  is  on  his  journey  to  the  everlasting  home ; and 
ripening  for  a place  amid  the  redeemed  in  glory.  May 
it  not  be  then  that  we  are  in  this  world  laying  the  out- 
lines and  the  framework  of  the  body  that  is  to  clothe  us 
for  ever ; and  that  we  deposit  in  the  grave  the  germ  of 
that  body  that  shall  rise  to  everlasting  shame  and  con- 
tempt, or  that  shall  rise  to  everlasting  life,  and  shine  like 


40 


THE  (JrEAT  tribulation. 


the  firmament,  and  as  the  brightness  of  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever  ? If  so,  may  we  seek  the  Holy  Spirit  to  inlay 
our  hearts  with  that  inner  character  which  will  shine  in 
our  outer  life,  and  outlive  the  grave,  and  reach  its  culmi- 
nating perfection  when  time  shall  be  no  more. 


LECTURE  XXIII. 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 

Emerging  from  the  sleep  of  ages  shall  appear  a holy 
lustre,  those  of  \yhom  it  is  written — 

And  they  that  he  unse  shall  shine  as  the  brightness 
of  the  firmament  ; and  they  that  turn  many  to  r ight- 
eousness as  the  stars  for  ever  and  evcr.^"^ — Daniel 
xii.  3. 

First  of  all  there  is  set  before  us  here  a personal  char- 
acteristic, They  that  be  wise  f secondly,  there  is  prom- 
ised to  such  the  blessed  distinction,  that  they  shall  shine 
as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament then,  thirdly,  we 
have  a missionary  feature,  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness;’’  and  we  have  a missionary  reward,  they 
shRjl  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.” 

Let  us  first  study  the  personnel^  they  that  be  wise.” 
What  is  meant  by  this  ? What  is  wisdom  ? First  of  all, 
it  is  not  the  wisdom  of  the  world  which  regards  progress, 
riches,  greatness,  as  the  main  thing  in  life,  and  bends  all 
its  energies  towards  the  attainment  of  these  ; that  is  not 
wisdom  : to  seek  as  the  end  of  life  that  which  cannot  give 
happiness  when  we  have  it,  and  cannot  go  with  us  when 
life  terminates  in  the  grave,  is  follv,  not  wisdom.  In  the 

(41) 


42 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


second  place,  it  is  not  the  wisdom  of  the  schools  that  is 
here  meant.  Splendid  eloquence,  subtle  syllogisms,  beau- 
tiful and  keen  dialectics,  questions  that  do  not  edify,  dis- 
cussions that  do  not  profit,  this  was  the  wisdom  of  the 
'schools  ; and  of  that  wisdom  we  have  a verdict  we  are  sure 
cannot  be  wrong.  The  world,  ’’  says  the  apostle,  by 
wisdom  knew  not  God;*’  and  again,  says  the  same  apostle, 

God  has  made  foolish  the  wisdom  of  this  world.”  The 
whole  wisdom  of  the  schools  was  to  find  out  what  they 
called  the  to  ngenop^  or  that  which  becomes  us,  and  the 
TO  xalovy  that  which  is  good  ; and  the  longer  they 
searched,  the  less  was  their  success ; and  thus  the  judg- 
ment pronounced  upon  it  by  Him  that  cannot  err  is,  The 
world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God.”  The  word  philosopher 
means  one  that  loves  wisdom  ; but  such  wisdom  never  re- 
vealed God  our  Father. 

Wisdom,  the  mark  of  those  that  are  here  spoken  of,  is 
something  totally  distinct  from  cunning.  We  often  meet 
with  a cunning  man  who  is  anything  but  a wise  man. 
The  tiger  is  cunning,  the  ,cat  is  cunning,  even  the  dog 
has  some  particle  of  cunning,  but  that  is  not  wisdom  ; it 
is  the  mark  of  the  brutes  of  the  field.  Wisdom  is  the 
choice  of  the  noblest  end  ; the  pursuit  of  it  by  the  holiest 
measures,  and  the  belief  of  certain  success  in  attaining  it 
by  the  promise  of  Him  who  cannot  err.  Let  us  there- 
fore see  Avhat  are  the  elements  of  wisdom.  First,  they 
that  be  wise  study  and  settle  in  their  minds  primarily  the 
great  question,  What  must  I do  to  be  saved?”  Now 
there  is  no  question  that  comes  home  to  the  human  heart 
with  a greater  and  a more  enduring  emphasis  than  this; 
what  am  1 ? what  is  the  end  of  me  ? Is  this  world  my 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 


43 


all,  is  its  most  magnificent  hall  my  only  home  ; and  when 
I am  laid  in  that  house  which  is  only  six  feet  long  by 
three  feet  broad,  is  that  the  end  of  me  ? If  such  be  the 
end  of  me  and  you,  the  Being  that  made  us  must  be  a 
cruel  monster;  but  if  such  be  not  the  end  of  us,  he  that 
ignores  the  question.  What  lies  beyond?  cannot  belong 
to  those  who  are  wise,  and  who  shall  shine  as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  firmament.  The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart. 
There  is  no  God  and  he  is  only  second  in  his  folly  who 
supposes  that  the  immortality  and  responsibility  of  the 
soul  are  questions  he  may  adjourn  till  the  judgment  day. 
They  that  are  wise  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word  will 
never  make  a subordinate,  but  always  a supreme  question, 
What  must  I do  to  be  saved?”  Would  you  call  that 
man  wise  who  risks  his  life  in  the  pursuit  of  a transient 
pleasure  ? Would  you  call  him  wise  who,  when  his  house 
is  dissolving  into  ashes  amid  the  burning  flame,  saves  his 
gold  but  forgets  the  infant  that  sleeps  in  the  cradle  ? 
Would  you  call  him  wise  who  in  a sinking  ship,  being  a 
strong  swimmer,  loads  himself  with  gold,  instead  of  leav- 
ing himself  free,  in  order  to  save  his  life  from  the  de- 
vouring waves  ? In  the  same  manner,  can  you  call  that 
n an  wise  who  gives  his  whole  soul  to  this  question.  How 
shall  I be  rich  ? how  shall  I be  great  ? how  shall  I be- 
come renowned  ? but  who  ignores  or  despises,  or  totally 
neglects  the  great  question.  What  is  to  become  of  me 
when  time  ceases,  and  where  shall  I be  when  the  great 
white  throne  shall  be  the  only  sight,  and  the  Judge  upon 
the  throne  shall  summon  me  to  give  an  account  of  all 
the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good  or 
whether  they  be  evil  ? You  may  determine  w’hether  you 


44 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


be  wise  or  not  by  this  simple  test — what  is  supreme  in 
your  thoughts  ? I do  not  ask  you  to  think  of  eternity  as 
the  exclusive  thing,  or  of  the  soul  as  the  exclusive  con- 
cern, but  as  the  supreme  thing.  I do  not  ask  you  to 
despise  riches,  honor,  learning ; the  very  reverse.  It  is 
proper  that  you  should  study  and  contemplate  these 
things.  But  if  you  so  look  to  the  things  that  perish 
that  you  utterly  ignore  the  momentous  realities  that 
stretch  into  everlasting  ages,  then  surely  I do  not  speak 
uncharitably — I speak  in  the  very  words  of  God — when 
I say  you  are  not  among  the  wise,  that  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament. 

Tliose  that  be  wise,  and  look  to  this  great  end,  will 
as  wise  men  ask  for  an  explanation  and  a solution  of 
their  difficulties  only  where  an  infallible  solution  can  be 
found — in  the  word  of  God.  Were  a sailor  who  has  lost 
his  path  upon  the  ocean  to  look  for  guidance  to  the  phos- 
phorescent lights  upon  the  waves,  you  would  say  he  was 
a fool.  And  so  if  a man  is  seeking  the  way  to  heaven, 
and  wanting  to  know  how  he  can  be  saved,  you  would 
say  that  man  cannot  be  wise  who  neglects  an  infallible 
oracle,  and  has  recourse  to  oracles  that  are  human  and 
fallible,  and  many  of  them  deceptive.  If  you  appeal  to 
the  Fathers,  they  contradict  each  himself  and  each  the 
other,  and  none  of  them  are  inspired ; if  you  appeal  to 
the  Church,  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  erred,  every 
Church  upon  earth  has  erred,  and  the  Church  is  only 
correct  when  its  words  are  the  echoes  of  the  oracles  of 
God.  If  you  appeal  to  tradition,  it  is  only  refracted  and 
misty  moonlight ; if  you  appeal  to  reason,  it  is  only  the 
dim  and  dying  twilight  of  a once  splendid  and  glorious 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 


45 


noon  ; but  if  jou  are  ^Yise,  you  will  open  the  book  that 
God  has  sent  to  be  a light  to  your  feet  and  a lamp  to 
your  path;  and  you  will  discover  there  that  from  a 
c’lild  thou  hast  known  the  Scriptures,  which  are  able  to 
make  thee  wise  unto  everlasting  life.” 

He  that  is  wise  will  be  in  all  his  decisions  in  this  res- 
pect eminently  practical.  There  is  no  greater  mark  of 
wipdom  than  its  being  practical.  How  many  do  we  meet 
with  who  are  always  dreaming,  but  never  doing ; who 
are  constantly  striking  out  splendid  theories,  and 
dying  for  want  of  daily  bread ! The  wisdom  of  God 
is  eminently  practical ; it  selects  an  object,  it  seizes  that 
object  Avith  all  its  might ; it  bends  its  energies  to  the  at- 
tainment of  it,  by  prayer,  by  painstaking,  by  the  study 
of  the  word,  by  thought,  by  reflection,  by  inquiry.  It 
seeks  the  grandest  ends  by  the  best  measures,  and  in 
humble  reliance  upon  the  promise,  They  that  seek  me 
shall  assuredly  find  me.”  ‘‘The  Avisdom  that  is  from 
aboA^e  is  pure,  peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be  entreated, 
full  of  good  fruits,  Avithout  partiality  and  without  hy- 
pocrisy:”  and  they  that  be  wise  are  the  exponents  of  a 
wisdom  thus  scripturally  and  justly  defined. 

It  is  said  that  they  that  be  thus  wise  “shall  shine  as 
the  brightness  of  the  firmament;”  or  as  it  is  expressed 
by  Solomon,  “ like  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.”  Hence  the  course  of 
a Christian  man  is  progressive.  Have  you  ever  noticed 
the  grey  and  misty  twilight  as  it  tinges  with  its  first 
beams  the  mountain  tops  or  the  church  spires  ? It  seems 
so  feeble  that  the  least  intercepting  object  threatens  to 
extinguish  and  quench  it  for  ever.  But  by  a laAv  that 


46 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


no  power  of  man  can  repeal,  the  grey  dawi  gathers 
strength,  and  brilliancy,  and  force,  till  the  tiny  ray  that 
seemed  glimmering  on  the  very  verge  of  extinction  blazes 
and  burns  in  all  the  splendor  and  glory  of  summer  noon. 
It  is  so  with  the  Christian.  At  first  it  is  grace  strug- 
gling for  existence,  but  it  increases  and  spreads,  and 
turns  obstructions  into  aids.  Did  you  ever  notice  the 
sun  rise  ?— how  first  of  all  the  great  black  banks  of 
clouds  seem  to  threaten  total  extinction ; then  the  moun- 
tain crags  intervene  between  you  and  the  sun;  then 
the  very  trees  of  the  forest  seem  to  intercept  his  rays ; 
and  if  you  take  cloud,  and  crag,  and  forest,  and  moun- 
tain top  into  your  thoughts,  the  impression  would  be,  if 
your  experience  did  not  teach  otherwise,  that  that  grey, 
struggling  twilight  never  could  burst  into  day.  But  wait 
a while,  and  you  will  find  the  very  crags  will  become 
tinged  with  rosy  light ; the  great  clouds  will  be  dissolved 
into  rains  that  feed  the  violet  that  faints  for  want  of  re- 
freshment, in  the  glen  below,  and  add  to  the  volume  of 
the  streams  that  are  rushing  onward  to  the  main ; you 
will  find  the  very  trees  become  shafts  of  flame,  reflecting 
the  splendors  that  they  seemed  at  first  to  arrest ; and 
onward  the  grey  dawn  will  go,  until  it  melts  into  beauty 
and  glory.  It  is  so  with  them  that  be  wise  : they  shall 
advance  from  grace  to  grace,  turning  obstructions  into 
impulses,  out  of  evil  educing  good,  shining  more  and 
more  until  they  reach  the  noon  of  perfect  and  enduring 
day.  Take  the  history  of  a Christian  anywhere  or  at 
any  epoch,  and  you  will  find  this  is  his  character.  For 
instance,  Bunyan  was  cast  into  prison  at  Bedford ; the 
vails  were  thick,  the  windows  small,  the  darkness  dense 


THE  HARVEST  OF  THE  EARTH. 


47 


as  night ; but  out  of  that  lonely  prison  burst  a ray  that 
has  cast  its  light  upon  many  an  English  fireside,  and 
made  the  Pilgrim’s  Progress  not  only  a household  word, 
but  the  admiration  and  study  of  all  Christian  mankind. 
St.  John  was  banished  by  Domitian  to  a solitary  isle  in 
the  ^gean  Sea : it  was  thought  by  the  Avorld  and  by 
this  world’s  rulers  that  John’s  light  was  quenched  for 
ever.  But  in  that  desert  isle,  in  that  solitary  Patmos. 
an  apocalypse  of  glory  swept  before  the  mind  of  the 
apostle,  that  has  been  a light  to  the  feet  and  a lamp  to 
the  church  in  all  ages ; and  if  Domitian  had  never  ban- 
ished John  to  Patmos,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  the  Bible  had 
ended  with  the  Epistle  of  Jude,  and  the  Church  been 
without  the  magnificent  and  conforting  book  of  Revela- 
tion. Paul  Avhen  he  visited  Rome  was  cast  into  the 
Mamertine  prison,  or  tied  to  a soldier  by  a chain,  in  a 
miserable  room  in  the  midst  of  that  great  capital.  Jews 
and  Gentiles  came  to  hear  him;  and  from  Rome  as  an 
echoing  centre  the  words  of  Paul  shot  forth  until  Britain 
heard  their  echoes,  and  the  whole  Avorld  now  reverbe- 
rates with  their  glorious  and  concjuering  music.  So  true 
is  it  that  the  wise  shall  advance  from  light  to  light,  each 
footstep  luminous,  until  at  last  the  light  of  grace  is  lost 
in  the  noon  of  glory.  But  it  is  no  less  true  that  even 
now  the  wise,  that  is  the  Christian  man,  influences  and 
shines.  It  is  a great  mistake  to  suppose  that  any  man 
can,  by  any  possibility,  be  a blank.  There  is  not  a man 
on  earth,  however  humble,  who  is  a blank ; there  is  not 
one  man  in  society  who  is  not  either  a blot  or  a blessing ; 
you  cannot  be  a blank,  do  as  you  like  you  cannot  be  neu- 
tral ; neutrality  in  moral  character  is  absolutely  impossi- 


48 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


ble.  You  have,  therefore,  to  take  your  choice,  and  you 
cannot  choose  otherwise,  whether  you  shall  be  a blessing, 
limited  it  may  be,  small  it  may  be ; or  a blot,  limited  it 
may  be,  in  an  obscure  sphere  it  may  be ; but  still,  blot 
or  blessing,  by  no  possibility  a blank,  must  each  of  us  be. 
What  says  our  Lord,  of  Christians?  ‘^Ye  are  the  lights 
of  the  world;’’  not,  as  some  of  us  would  have  it,  the 
lighUimg  of  the  world ; we  would  all  rather  be  the  light- 
ning flash  that  illuminates  the  world  with  its  transient 
splendor,  and  makes  the  wide  earth  echo  with  the  thun- 
der at  its  heels,  than  be,  what  is  a nobler,  a more  im- 
pressive and  magnificent  thing,  the  quiet  and  gentle  ligiit 
that  opens  by  its  touch  the  sleeping  rosebuds,  and  covers 
the  earth  in  June  with  all  its  riches  of  beauty  and  of 
blossom.  But  if  you  be  Christians,  if  you  be  wise,  you 
are  now  shining  in  some  degree  as  the  brightness  of  the 
firmament ; you  are  now  the  lights  of  the  world,  leaving 
in  your  path  a trail  of  beneficent  and  moral  splendor 
which  thousands  feel  the  warmth  of,  or  are  guided  by  in 
their  arduous  and  struggling  roads.  This  light  wLich 
Christians  are  is  not  a polar  light,  cold  and  icy ; nor  is 
it  a meteor  light,  leaving  denser  darkness  behind  it ; nor 
is  it  a phosporescent  light,  the  light  of  decay  and  death ; 
but  it  is  a clear,  warm,  genial,  heavenly  light,  making 
firesides  brighter,  human  hearts  happier,  leaving  the 
Avorld  a better,  a greater,  and  a wiser  world  because  we 
have  passed  through  it,  the  lights  of  time  to  be  fixed  as 
stars  in  the  firmament,  there  to  shine  with  imperishable 
brightness  for  ever  and  ever.  Such  is  the  character  of 
the  Avise,  and  such  is  their  destiny.  This  destiny  of 
grace  will  be  complete  when  the  dust  you  have  left  in 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 


49 


the  grave,  quickened  and  renovated  by  the  breath  of  God, 
shall  again  become  the  companion  of  the  soul  that  has 
entered  into  heaven ; and  this  mortal  shall  put  on  its  im- 
mortality, and  this  corruptible  its  incorruptibility;  and 
the  whole  company  of  the  redeemed  shall  be  presented 
to  Christ,  a glorious  Church,  without  spot  or  blemish,  or 
wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing.  Then  shall  the  righteous 
shine  forth  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Such  is  personal  character,  and  such  is  personal  re- 
ward. I ask,  are  you  wise  in  the  highest,  holiest,  most 
practical  sense  of  that  word  ? Is  the  safety  of  your  soul 
not  the  exclusive,  but  the  supreme  thing  ? Do  you  live 
chiefly  for  the  future,  or  is  your  whole  heart  buried  in 
the  pursuits  of  this  present  world  ? I do  not  ask  you  to 
be  sepulchral  or  ascetic ; but  so  to  pass  through  the  things 
that  are  seen  and  temporal,  that  you  forget  not  the  things 
that  are  unseen  and  eternal ; and  whilst  you  sip  the  pleas- 
ures as  you  pass  along  which  God  presents  you  in  the 
cup  of  his  providence,  never  forget  you  are  travellers  and 
sojourners,  looking  for  a city  that  hath  foundations,  and 
for  a home  that  never  shall  be  removed. 

Let  me  turn  to  the  second  half  of  this  interesting  sub- 
ject, They  that  turn  many  to  rightenousness  shall  shine 
as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.’’  What  does  this  mean, 

Turn  many  to  Righteousness?”  It  implies,  first  of 
all,  they  that  turn  many  to  the  knowledge  of  righteous- 
ness. But  what  righteousness  ? That  righteousness, 
we  are  told,  which  is  unto  all  and  upon  all  that  believe. 
If  the  great  question  be  the  safety  of  the  soul,  the  next, 
and  only  the  next,  must  be  how  and  by  w^'hat  process 
shall  that  soul  be  entitled  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
3 


50 


THE  GKEAT  TRIBULATION. 


heaven?  Well,  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness 
turn  them,  first  of  all,  to  the  knowledge  of  this, — that 
no  sufferings  which  man  can  endure  are  expiatory  or 
atoning ; that  no  good  deeds  that  man  can  do  are  meri- 
torious ; and  that  no  effort  that  man  can  make  is  recupe- 
rative of  his  lost  glory,  or  can  reinstate  him  in  the 
paradise  that  he  forfeited  by  sin.  Christ’s  righteoifsness 
alone  is  our  title,  Christ’s  atonement  alone  is  expiatory  ; 
by  what  He  suffered  our  sins  are  all  washed  away ; by 
what  He  did  we  are  entitled  to  a crown  of  glory  that 
fadeth  not  away.  Let  us  never  let  go  our  grasp  of  that 
cardinal  truth  in  the  Christian  faith — that  we  are  already, 
this  very  moment,  if  we  be  Christians,  just  as  entitled 
to  heaven  as  Christ  himself  is ; that  we  shall  never  be 
more  and  that  we  can  never  be  less  so ; in  other  words, 
that  our  right  to  heaven  is  not  something  in  us,  nor 
something  done  by  us,  nor  something  purchased  by  us  ; 
but  entirely,  exclusively,  something  that  Christ  did  for 
us,  that  faith  receives,  and  God  imputes.  In  other  words, 
my  right  to  heaven  is  something  external  to  myself. 
We  see  this  from  the  contrast  between  Christ  and  us. 
When  Jesus  died  upon  the  cross,  there  was  nothing  in 
him  worthy  of  that  death;  when  I shall  be  admitted 
into  the  realms  of  glory,  there  Avill  be  nothing  in  me 
worthy  of  an  atom  of  that  glory.  My  sins  laid  on  him 
and  accepted  by  him  dragged  him  to  a grave ; his  righte- 
ousness laid  on  me  and  accepted  by  me  shall  lift  me  to 
a crown  of  glory.  Therefore  when  priests  come  to  me 
and  offer  to  forgive  me,  I thank  them,  and  tell  them  I 
need  it  not — I am  complete  in  Christ ; when  priests  come 
to  me  and  bid  me  do  penance,  I tell  them,  Christ  fin- 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 


51 


ished  that  eighteen  centuries  ago ; when  priests  come 
to  me  and  offer  me  all  tlie  absolutions,  and  all  the  good 
works,  and  all  the  merits  in  the  treasury  of  the  Church, 
I thank  them,  but  tell  them  I do  not  want  them,  because 
I am  complete  in  Christ,  and  want  nothing  more.  There 
is  no  defence  against  Romanism  except  in  holding  flist 
this  ’ great  truth,  that  my  title  to  heaven  is  what  priests 
cannot  give,  what  I cannot  buy,  what  no  efforts  of  mine 
can  work  out,  what  no  church  can  bestow  and  no  church 
can  take  away ; that  He  who  knew  no  sin  was  made  sin 
for  me,  that  I,  who  have  done  nothing  but  sin,  might 
be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  by  Him.  If  I can 
turn  you  to  the  knowledge  of  that,  I have  led  you  to 
the  most  precious  truth  contained  in  the  Bible  ; that 
truth  on  which  you  can  always  fall  back  as  something 
that  you  are  sure  will  not  give  way.  When  your  own 
heart  smites  you,  when  your  own  conscience  torments 
you  ; when  memory,  as  you  turn  over  its  leaves  reproach- 
es you  with  past  transgressions  ; when  you  are  cast  down, 
depressed,  overwhelmed  by  a sense  of  personal  demerit ; 
oh,  blessed  thought ! can  each  fall  back  upon  this,  that 
my  righteousness  is  not  what  memory,  or  conscience,  or 
heart  can  suggest  to  me,  but  what  the  Bible  tells  me — 
that  Jesus  my  righteousness  is  all  my  salvation  and  all 
my  desire.  There  is  no  comfort  but  in  this.  Try  to 
extract  comfort  from  memory,  and  you  will  be  most  bitter- 
ly disappointed ; review  your  best  and  your  most  splendid 
deeds,  and  you  will  find  them  no  comfort  to  you  ; but  foil 
back  upon  this, — let  conscience  condemn  me,  let  memory 
condemn,  let  the  law  condemn,  let  the  whole  past  of  my 
life  condemn,  here  is  my  trust,  here  is  my  rest — Jesus 


52 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION- 


Christ  my  righteousness,  the  only  and  the  all-sufficient 
ground  of  my  acceptance ; that  He  bore  my  sins,  and  I 
shall  never  bear  them  ; and  that  He  obeyed  the  law  for 
me,  and  I shall  be  entitled  to  all  its  reward.  And  they 
that  turn  many  to  this  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever. 

I do  not  mean  to  say  that  this  righteousness  as  our 
title  excludes  or  renders  unnecessary  what  are  called 
good  works ; but  if  you  will  only  make  sure  of  the  first, 
you  may  be  perfectly  satisfied  that  you  will  have  the  last. 

Whom  God  justifies,  them  He  also  sanctifies.’’  Where 
Christ  gives  us  a rigliteousness  external  to  us,  the  Holy 
Spirit  works  within  us  a righteousness  personal  and  in- 
ternal. In  other  words,  our  blessed  Lord  gives  us  a 
title  to  heaven,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  gives  us  fitness  for 
heaven ; and  the  fruits  we  bear,  the  character  we  sustain, 
or  the  conduct  that  the  world  can  take  cognizance  of;  all 
vindicates  our  claim  of  being  found  in  Him,  to  be  found 
in  whom  is  to  have  no  condemnation.  By  what  process 
do  they  turn  many  to  righteousness  ? First,  I answer, 
not  by  coercion.  No  force  ever  made  a man  a Christian. 
No  threat  or  penal  law  ever  made  a single  human  being 
a Christian.  Conviction  is  the  child  of  argument ; im- 
pression that  lasts  is  produced  by  truth ; but  never  did 
Satan  perpetrate  a greater  blunder,  never  did  the  church 
fall  into  a greater  mistake,  than  when  either  thought 
that  burning  men’s  bodies  could  burn  out  their  convic- 
tions ; or  that  any  patronage  can  build  up  a lie,  or  any 
persecution  destroy  God’s  eternal  and  inspired  truth. 
Nor,  in  the  second  place,  are  we  to  seek  to  turn  many  to 
righteousness  by  a bribe.  This  is  just  as  bad.  A con- 


THE  SHINING  THRONG. 


53 


vert  secured  by  a bribe  to  any  cause  upon  earth  is  far 
more  dangerous  as  an  ally  than  if  he  were  an  open  and 
undisguised  enemy.  Besides,  people  are  not  to  be  seduced 
into  truth  by  a bribe,  nor  are  they  to  be  terrified  into 
righteousness  by  a threat.  There  is  something  in  man’s 
soul  too  noble  to  be  coerced  into  religion  by  a threat,  or 
to  be  seduced  by  a bribe.  Then  how  are  we  to  turn 
many  to  righteousness  ? I answer,  by  the  majesty  of 
truth,  by  the  force  of  argument,  by  the  earnestness  of 
appeal,  by  eloquent  persuasion.  The  weapons  of  our 
warfare,”  says  the  apostle,  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty 
through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  the  strongholds  of 
Satan  and  of  sin.”  We  are  to  turn  many  to  righteousness 
by  prayer,  by  painstaking,  by  the  blessing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God;  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.” 

Who  are  they  that  thus  turn  many  to  righteousness  ? 
First  of  all  I will  mention,  as  the  chiefest  and  foremost 
of  the  catalogue,  the  preachers  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
No  office  is  possessed  of  loftier  importance,  no  function 
is  characterized  by  richer  dignity  than  that  of  an  am- 
bassador of  Christ.  But  because  an  ambassador,  how 
dutiful  is  faithfulness  ; because  a steward,  how  obligatory 
is  honesty,  in  bringing  forth  things  both  new  and  old  ! 
A painter  who  fails  destroys  a piece  of  canvas  ; a sculp- 
tor who  fails  injures  only  a block  of  Carrara  marble  ; but 
a preacher  who  trifles  with  his  duties,  and  says  ‘‘  Peace, 
peace,”  when  there  is  no  peace  at  all,  imbrues  his  hands 
in  the  blood  of  immortal  souls,  and  will  be  called  to  ac- 
count for  the  abuse  and  misuse  and  perversion  of  so  sub- 
lime a function  as  his.  Then,  secondly,  among  those  that 


54 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


turn  many  to  righteousness  are  the  missionaries  who  go 
forth  to  China,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  bigoted  Chinese  ; 
w^ho  visit  the  burning  sands  of  India,  where  so  many 
a faithful  missionary  has  sealed  his  testimony  with  his 
blood ; or  who  wander,  like  the  Moravians,  to  the  steppes 
of  Russia,  or  to  the  sno\¥S  of  Greenland  and  of  Labrador  ; 
or  who,  like  the  missionaries  in  our  own  land,  go  into  the 
scenes  of  pestilence,  breathe  the  air  of  infection,  come 
into  contact  with  all  that  is  debasing,  and  all  that  is  dis- 
gusting to  exquisite  and  cultivated  taste,  in  order  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  fulfil  the  mission  of  turning  many 
to  righteousness.  Next  to  him  is  the  Bible  distributor. 
I knoAV  not  an  office  more  important  than  this  ; for  after 
all,  the  sermon  has  in  it  the  alloy  of  the  preacher,  but  the 
Bible  has  in  it  purely  the  word  of  its  author,  God.  The 
Bible  is  the  granary ; our  sermons  are  the  winds  that 
carry  on  their  wings  the  living  seeds,  and  scatter  them 
broadcast  over  waiting  and  receptive  hearts.  The  Bible 
is  the  fountain,  our  sermons  are  but  the  streamlets  that 
flow  from  it.  Luther  became  a Christian  the  instant  that 
the  monk  became  acquainted  with  the  word  of  God.  And 
how  remarkable  is  it  that  in  France,  during  the  last  ten 
years,  more  Bibles  have  been  distributed  and  received 
than  during  a hundred  years  before.  How  delightful  is 
it  that  the  colporteurs  were  seen  following  the  French 
army  across  the  Alps  ; and  as  they  descended  into  the 
plains  of  Piedmont,  the  Waldensianp(25^fe2/r5  followed  in 
their  wake,  carrying  to  thousands  to  wdiom  the  field  of 
conflict  was  then  a grave,  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ ! I have  such  love  to  that  church  that  Sardinia 
has  nursed  in  her  bosom — the  Waldensian  church,  the 


THE  SHINING  THKONG. 


witnesses  during  the  middle  ages  ; the  bones  of  whovSe 
fathers  are  bleaching  on  the  Cottian  Alps,  the  sufferings 
of  whose  predecessors  are  unparalleled  by  the  sufferings 
of  any  martyrs  in  the  world  beside  ; that  I cannot  help — 
I hope  it  is  not  meddling  with  this  world’s  politics — I can- 
not help  often  lifting  up  a prayer  to  God  that  he  would 
save  Sardinia,  that  he  would  shelter  beneath  his  wings 
that  bright  lamp  that  has  burnt  in  the  middle  ages, 
the  church  of  the  Waldensians  ; and  that  the  darkness, 
and  the  damp,  and  the  chill  of  an  Austrian  dungeon  may 
never  quench  that  sacred  light,  which  extended  its  beamB 
across  the  Cottian  Alps,  and  has  served  in  no  small  degree 
to  light  up  Europe  with  the  glories  and  the  splendors  of 
the  Gospel. 

Thus  then  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall 
shine  as  the  stars ; their  sj^lendor  borrowed  from  an  un- 
setting sun  ; their  position  high  above  the  tides  and  the 
transformations  of  time ; and  finally  they  shall  reign  on 
earth  with  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  in  whose 
presence  there  is  fullness  of  joy,  and  at  whose  right  hand 
are  pleasures  for  evermore. 

These  come  out  of  all  tribulation,  and  appear  on  the 
earth,  and  live  and  reign  with  Christ  on  the  earth. 


LECTURE  XXIV. 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 

A predicted  sign  of  the  approach  of  that  glory  that  is 
to  be  revealed  is  thus  set  forth — 

Many  shall  run  to  and  fro^  and  knowledge  shall  he 
increased.'^'^ — Daniel,  xii.  4. 

So  far  these  words  have  been  illustrated  and  fulfilled  in 
every  age  of  the  w^orld,  and  on  every  acre  of  t':e  earth. 
There  has  always  been  locomotion  in  the  world  ; there 
has  always  been  increase  of  the  great  capital  of  sacred 
and  of  secular  knowledge.  But  the  words  of  the  prophecy 
seem  to  imply  that  this  shall  be  intensely,  singularly,  and 
unprecedentedly  the  characteristic  fact ; and  that  as  the 
world  grows  older,  and  the  twilight  of  its  setting  sun  grows 
dimmer,  its  progress  over  the  world’s  area,  and  its  in- 
crease in  knowledge  of  all  kinds,  shall  be  greater,  and 
richer,  and  more  ample  than  it  ever  was  before.  Let  me 
take  the  simplest  facts  of  the  age,  and  show  you  how  ex- 
actly they  seem  to  be  the  fulfilment  of  this  prediction. 

The  first  part  of  the  prediction  is  that  many  shall  run 
to  and  fro.”  Now  if  were  not  to  specify  a single  par- 
ticular, let  me  ask  the  most  superficial  observer  if  there 
ever  w’^as  an  age  more  marked  by  ceaseless,  boundless 
locomotion;  or  in  the  words  of  the  prophet,  a greater 

(56) 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


57 


amount  of  running  to  and  fro.’’  And  tlie  more  that 
man  wants  to  run,  and  the  further  he  wants  to  go,  the 
more  rapidly  science  brings  up  from  its  wondrous  depths 
the  provisions  and  arrangements  that  meet  his  insatiable 
thirst,  and  enable  him  to  develop  this  remarkable  propen- 
sity. Take,  for  instance,  the  ocean  steamer : not  twenty 
years  old  in  its  highest  and  mightiest  smise ; she  lifts  her 
anchor  in  the  Mersey,  or  in  the  Clyde,  or  it  may  be  in 
the  Thames,  on  the  Monday  ; and  plouglis  right  against 
the  teeth  of  the  gale ; seeming  in  her  majesty — for  she 
looks  like  a thing  of  life — to  spurn  the  v/aters,  and  to 
tread  them  down,  and  to  laugh  at  or  play  with  the  winds 
and  waves  ; and  in  ten  days  she  drops  her  anchor  upon  the 
shores  of  another  w^orld ; and  the  living  freight  in  that 
steamer  has  in  its  transit  all  the  comforts  of  a home,  all 
the  luxury  of  a library,  all  the  pleasures  of  a promenade. 
What  a strange  provision  and  remarkable  fact  is  this  ! 
And  when  the  Great  Eastern  shall  begin  its  mission,  you 
will  then  have  another  addition  to  our  proof,  and  an- 
other illustration  of  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy ; when  a 
whole  village  shall  be  taken  on  boaitl,  and  carried  at  a 
speed  that  shall  compete  almost  with  our  railways;  and, 
as  some  venture  to  say.  New  York  and  London  will  only 
be  five  or  six  days’  distance  from  each  other.  Count  now, 
if  you  can,  in  addition  to  this,  the  steamships  that  leave 
the  Mersey,  the  Thames,  the  Clyde  for  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  set  out  from  all  the  sea-gates  of  our  empire , 
count,  if  you  can,  the  white  sails  that  like  the  doves  of 
peace  whiten  with  their  wings  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  desert  ocean ; and,  then  see  what  is  literally  true,  the 
striking  fact  that  the  sea  is  almost  as  populous  as  the  land ; 
3^ 


58 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


that  multitudes  at  this  moment  are  on  the  broad  ocean  that 
might  almost  be  compared  with  the  multitudes  that  rush 
along  the  streets,  and  that  cover  the  broad  fields  of  Europe 
itself.  Let  us  turn  to  another  evidence ; and  I quote 
simply  facts  to  show  the  fulfilment  of  the  prediction ; 
take  that  wondrous  fact  of  the  age,  also  not  above  thirty 
years  old,  the  locomotive  engine.  Its  speed  is  something 
wonderful.  When  its  first  great  discoverer  stated  to  the 
House  of  Commons  that  he  hoped  one  day  to  travel 
with  his  engine  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an  hour ; that 
House,  which,  like  other  people,  grows  wiser,  and  is  not 
always  filled  with  Solons,  with  few  exceptions,  laughed 
at  him  in  blind  incredulity ; and  they  had  scarcely  done 
with  laughing  before  they  were  travelling  at  the  rate  of 
thirty,  forty,  and  as  some  trains  have  even  reached  sixty 
miles  an  hour.  And  then  that  very  provision  for  travel- 
ling, by  a strange  law,  has  increased  vastly  the  number 
that  travel  and  the  passion  for  locomotion.  The  calcula- 
lation  originally  was  that  the  travellers  between  two  towns 
are  so  many,  or  so  many ; and  the  provision  made,  there- 
fare,  must  be  so  much.  It  has  been  found  that  travellers 
have  been  multiplied  by  facilities  of  travelling  ;•  and  that 
the  provision  for  the  thirst  has  stimulated  the  thirst ; and 
the  greater  the  facilities,  the  greater  the  numbers  run  to 
and  fro. 

Turn  again  to  that  wonderful  instance  of  the  fulfilment 
of  this  passage,  the  electric  telegraph.  Were  an  old  monk 
to  rise  from  beneath  his  tomb  in  some  of  the  old  cathedrals, 
and  to  see  what  is  taking  place,  he  would  think  he  had 
come  into  a world  totally  different  from  that  in  which  he 
lived,  and  ate,  and  drank,  and  read  his  Breviary.  And  if 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


59 


you  had  told  a person  thirty  years  ago  tlnit  people  could 
talk  by  lightning,  he  would  have  smiled  at  you,  and  set 
you  down  as  an  enthusiast  or  a foolish  and  ignorant  fa- 
natic. And  yet,  what  is  the  ftict  ? That  this  mysterious 
whispering  wire,  as  it  has  been  called,  is  covering  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  spreading  over  Europe,  Asia,  and 
America ; penetrating  even  that  centre  of  obscurantism, 
the  dominions  of  the  pope  himself : and  at  this  moment 
Paris,  Petersburg,  Vienna,  and  Berlin,  can  carry  on  a 
fireside  correspondence  wdth  London.  And  the  day  is, 
perhaps,  not  far  distant  wLen  New  York  and  Calcutta 
shall  be  able  to  talk  wdth  London  as  one  talks  with  his 
friend  on  the  opposite  corner  of  the  chimney.  There  is 
something  in  this  that  so  transcends  the  expectations  of 
the  past,  and  so  completely  responds  to  the  prediction  of 
the  prophet,  that  I think  no  man  can  be  warranted  in 
passing  it  by  wLo  ventures  to  illustrate  this  text.  Many 
shall  run  to  and  fro.’’  The  lightnings  are  become  man’s 
messengers  ; land,  and  sea,  and  mountains,  are  no  longer 
obstructions  to  man ; space  and  time  are  very  much  an- 
nihilated now-a-days ; the  sea  is  practically  dried  up  ; 
distant  capitals  are  neighbors  ; and  great  continents  are 
bound  together  into  a sisterhood  of  knowledge,  one  day  to 
be  a sisterhood  of  sympathy  and  of  love.  And  families 
scattered  over  the  whole  world  not  only  communicate  with 
each  other  now  in  days  by  steam,  but  in  seconds  and  min- 
utes by  lightning.  The  action  of  the  cabinets  of  Europe 
is  controlled,  modified,  directed,  by  lightning  also,  that  is 
shot  from  one  to  the  other ; and  reveals  the  wish  or  the 
will  of  the  one  to  the  understanding  of  the  other.  Now 
is  it  any  forced  construction  of  the  facts  of  history  when 


60 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


I say  they  are  the  fulfilment  of  the  prediction  in  this  pas- 
sage— Many  shall  run  to  and  fro?’’  So  rapidly  is  this 
increasing  that  if  you  open  that  wonderful  disclosure  of 
man’s  wants,  a morning  newspaper ; that  wonderful  dis- 
closure of  temptations  to  launch  out  into  expense,  or  spec- 
ulation, or  charity;  you  will  find  summer  tours  advertised 
for  Egypt  and  Palestine ; friendly  visits  are  spoken  of  to 
New  York  and  Philadelphia ; excursions  are  talked  of  to 
Athens,  Constantinople,  and  Eome.  Why,  to  have  talked 
of  such  things  thirty  years  ago,  as  to  be  done  in  the  time 
in  which  they  are  now  advertised  to  be  quietly  achieved, 
would  have  laid  you  open  to  the  imputation  of  the  ex- 
tremest  and  veriest  folly.  So  that  in  all  these  respects  this 
nineteenth  century  is  characterized  by  an  extent  and  an 
intensity  of  running  to  and  fro  unprecedented  in  any  other 
century  of  the  w^orld.  Besides,  by  a singular  reaction, 
the  very  knowledge  that  is  to  be  increased,  of  which  I 
shall  speak  presently,  is  the  cause  in  some  degree  of  the 
running  to  and  fro  ; and  the  running  to  and  fro  is  the 
cause  of  the  increase  of  the  knowledge.  What  was  the 
railway  once?  A thought  in  a student’s  mind.  What 
was  the  electric  telegraph  ? A thought  in  the  mind  of  an 
American.  Vfhat  was  the  ocean  stear^er  ? A thought  in 
the  mind  of  James  Watt.  Thoughts  have  thu^  been 
launched  into  facts  ; and  -what  were  at  first  the  dreams  of 
students  have  become  the  actions  and  the  profits  of  the 
commercial  world.  What  an  encouragement  to  study ! 
I do  not  believe  any  knowledge  is  worthless ; all  know- 
ledge, all  study,  is  worthy  of  our  attention.  A cause  of  all 
this  running  to  and  fro  may  be  that  man  is  restless ; and 
that  is  quite  true.  Ever  since  man  left  Paradise,  he  has 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEAENING.  Gl 

•wandered  about  seeking  a home ; he  lost  his  home  there  ; 
and  he  never  since  has  got  rid  of  the  impression  that  he 
is  not  at  home.  To  satisfy  that  yearning  after  a home  he 
has  recourse  to  all  sorts  of  experiments.  The  very  words 
of  this  prophecy,  Many  shall  run  to  and  fro’^  may  be 
translated,  ^‘Many  shall  run  for  refuge,’’  ‘‘Many  shall 
run  to  and  fro,  and  seek  earnestly  or  eagerly  for  shelter 
the  word  will  bear  that.  “ And  knowledge  shall  be  in- 
creased.” There  are  two  Hebrew  verbs,  and  it  has  been 
a (|uestion  not  about  the  interpretation,  but  which  is  the 
true  reading ; the  one  verb  differs  from  the  other  only  in 
a letter ; the  one  ends  with  the  letter  B and  the  other 
ends  with  the  letter  H.  Well,  it  has  been  disputed  wkich 
is  the  correct  reading ; if  it  be  the  one  reading,  then  it 
means,  “ Knowledge  shall  be  multiplied,  increased,  or 
augmented;”  and  if  it  be  the  other,  then  it  would  be, 
“Knowledge  shall  be  flashed  like  the  lightning  flame;” 
and  if  this  latter,  it  would  be  a striking  prediction,  meet- 
ing:; with  a most  brilliant  fulfilment  in  the  age  in  which 
we  live.  This  leads  me,  therefore,  to  the  second  division 
of  my  subject,  that  “ Knowledge  shall  be  increased.” 
Look  around  you  anywhere,  and  at  any  department  of 
knowledge,  and  see  if  this  be  not  fulfilled.  Take  for  in- 
stance geology.  It  has  laid  bare  what  has  been  called  the 
stony  page ; it  has  shown  upon  the  stratified  rocks  of  the 
earth  the  foot-prints  of  God.  We  find  that  five  successive 
times  God  has  interposed  in  the  exercise  of  his  creative 
power  ; we  find  a dynasty  of  creatures  destroyed  ; w^e  find 
masses  of  rock  laid  over  them,  once  sand  and  now  solidified, 
we  find  above  that  rock,  without  any  connection  with  the 
previous  race,  deep  down  below,  a new  race  introduced, 


62 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


and  fitted  to  the  new  temperature,  created  at  its  perfection, 
and  plainly  by  the  hand  of  God.  Well,  now,  it  is  in- 
teresting that  geology  should  discover  what  the  Bible  on 
the  highest  authority  has  said ; not  to  confirm  the  Bible, 
but  to  be  to  those  that  deiiy  the  Bible  a presumptive  proof 
that  the  Bible  is  true ; that  in  the  beginning  God  cre- 
ated the  heavens  and  the  earth.’’  And  very  remarkable 
too,  geology,  once  thought  by  some  to  be  hostile  to  reve- 
lation, has  in  its  maturity  been  shown  to  be  in  perfect 
harmony  with  revelation ; so  much  so  that  though  Moses 
was  not  inspired  to  teach  science,  yet  wherever  Moses 
touches  on  the  confines  of  science,  you  find  that  he  either 
knew  the  geology  of  1859,  or  he  was  inspired  by  God. 
He  did  not  know  the  former,  but  we  are  perfectly  satisfied 
that  he  spoke  as  he  was  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Take 
again  astronomy.  It  has  risen  on  soaring  wings,  and  with 
its  eye  inspected,  and  in  its  balance  it  has  weighed  the 
stars ; it  has  calculated  with  an  accuracy  that  is  unim- 
peachable their  distances.  We  can  upset  the  whole  the- 
ology of  the  Hindoo  by  predicting  an  eclipse  ; the  very 
hour  and  the  very  minute  when  it  will  occur  ; the  Hindoo 
stupidly  believing  it  to  be  an  interposition  of  one  of  his 
great  deities.  We  can  now  show  that  those  stars  in  the 
sky,  that  the  poor  ignorant  peasant  believes  to  be  merely 
the  gas-lamps  on  the  ceiling  of  his  bright  home,  are  orbs 
grander,  vaster,  more  magnificent  than  our  own ; and 
teeming  with  populations  that  probably  never  fell,  and 
retain  all  their  first  and  primal  innocency.  And  we  can 
show  to  demonstration  that  the  remotest  of  these  stars, 
stars  for  instance  that  Herschel  has  recently  shown,  have 
just  been  able  to  send  the  missionary  beam  that  comes 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEAKNING. 


63 


from  them  to  this  world.  Stars  have  been  discovered  that 
have  been  sending  light  at  a speed  so  tremendous  that  that 
light  only  takes  eight  minutes  to  come  from  the  sun  ; yet 
such  is  the  distance  of  these  orbs  that  rays  have  just  in- 
fringed upon  the  eye  of  Herschel  which  have  been  travel- 
ling for  millions  of  years  from  the  source  from  which  they 
set  out.  What  a remarkable  fact  is  that.  And  yet  these 
most  distant  stars  are  what  ? The  mere  thin  sentinels  of 
that  vast  host  that  is  spread  out  like  shining  dust  upon ; 
the  plains  of  infinitude  ; 

For  ever  singing'  as  they  shine, 

The  hand  thjit  made  us  is  divine.’ 

Again,  what  knowledge,  for  instance,  of  hands  referred 
to  in  the  Bible  has  been  recently  brought  out ! Ninevah 
has  responded — shall  I call  it  ? — to  the  magic  touch  of 
Layard ; and  has  lately  come  up  from  the  grave  in  which 
God  says  in  Nahum  he  wDuld  bury  it ; it  has  come  up 
from  its  grave ; and  in  the  British  Museum  it  tells  us  at 
this  moment,  Thy  word,  0 God,  is  truth  Babylon 
has  been  explored ; and  the  minutest  prediction  of  Isaiah 
has  been  proved  to  have  its  exact  fulfilment.  Jerusalem, 
long  a mere  picture  in  the  pages  of  visitors  who  could  not 
embody  it,  has  been  by  that  wondrous  discovery  of  the  day, 
which  makes  knowledge  more  palpable — photography — 
been  set  fully  before  us  here.  It  has  been  made  a pho- 
tograph ; so  that  you  can  see  the  very  stones  the  old  Rab- 
l>Is  kissed  ; you  can  see  the  very  dust  on  which  they  trod  ; 
the  Dead  Sea,  the  springs,  the  Jordan,  the  mountains  of 
Lebanon,  all  portrayed  by  the  sunbeams  with  a faithfulness 
so  exact  that  it  is  almost  as  good  as  if  you  exactly  beheld 
them  on  the  spot.  And  again,  Egypt,  that  land  of  his- 


64 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


toric  greatness,  that  land  of  majesty  and  of  mystery,  of 
meanness  and  magnificence,  has  been  explored  in  a most 
remarkable  way ; the  prisons,  the  palaces,  and  the  tombs 
of  the  Pharaohs  have  been  laid  open  ; and  very  recently 
a tomb  was  discovered  in  one  of  the  pyramids,  on  the  walls 
of  which  are  described  the  exploits  of  that  very  Pharaoh 
of  whom  we  have  been  reading  in  the  book  of  Exodus  ; 
the  stony  interior  of  the  Pyramids  thus  testifying  to  the 
accuracy,  the  historic  accuracy,  not  I admit  to  the  inspi- 
ration, but,  so  far  as  it  goes,  to  the  historic  accuracy  of 
Moses  as  the  writer.  Geology  shows  that  when  he  touches 
science  he  is  right ; astronomy  shows  that  when  he  ascends 
to  the  heavens  he  is  right ; and  tliat  those  who  have  ob- 
jected to  him  as  deceived  have  been  always  in  the  wTong. 
If  I may  deviate  for  one  moment  I would  refer  briefly  to 
that  remarkable  passage  where  it  is  said,  God  made  two 
great  lights ; the  sun  to  rule  the  day,  and  the  moon  to 
rule  the  night.’’  Well,  it  used  to  be  said.  This  implies 
that  Moses  believed  and  thought  that  God  made  these  orbs 
six  thousand  years  ago.  But  when  you  come  to  examine 
the  passage,  you  find  it  very  different.  It  is  not  in  that 
passage,  He  made  two  great  lights,  the  sun  and  the 
moon  but  it  is,  ‘‘  He  made  two  great  light-carriers,  or 
lamp-bearers.”  The  Hebrew  word  for  light  is  oior^  as, 
for  instance,  when  it  says,  “ God  said,  Let  there  be  light, 
and  there  was  light,”  it  is  Yehu  owr  ; but  when  it  says. 
He  made  two  great  lights,  the  sun  and  the  moon,”  it  is 
maowrath,  a different  word.  Our  translators,  I think  by 
an  unhappy  oversight,  have  rendered  the  word  lights;” 
they  ought  to  have  rendered  it,  He  made  two  great 
light-carriers,  the  sun  and  the  moon,”  And  therefore  the 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


65 


words  do  not  mean  that  God  made  them ; hut  that  he 
gave  them  a new  and  definite  mission  towards  this  world ; 
and  made  the  sun  and  the  moon  to  hold  out  lights,  in  order 
that  the  inhabitants  of  this  world  might  see.  So  that 
wherever  Moses  touches  upon  the  truths  of  science,  he  is, 
on  critical  investigation,  found  always  right,  and  those  who 
have  objected  to  him  have  rashly  and  ignorantly  done  so. 

Again,  we  notice  another  evidence  of  the  increase  of 
knowledge ; namely,  the  discoveries  made  respecting  the 
human  race  in  every  land.  You  recollect  the  old  predic- 
tion in  Genesis,  that  Japheth  shall  dwell  in  the  tents 
of  Shem;  and  Ham  shall  be  a bondsman  of  bondsmen.’’ 
That  was  a curse  mingled  with  a blessing  pronounced 
upon  three  races.  Now  it  is  not  a doubtful  question  at 
all  what  these  represent.  Shem  represents  the  Asiatic  ; 
Japheth  the  European;  and  Ham,  or  Canaan,  the  Afri- 
can ; I do  not  now  enter  into  the  proofs.  But  if  you 
turn  to  the  facts  of  the  case  as  set  before  us  at  this  mo- 
ment, Japheth  now  dwells  in  the  tents  of  Shem.  Eng- 
land is  at  this  moment  the  mistress  of  all  India;  the 
most  magnificent  of  the  tents  of  Shem.  And  it  is  from 
this  prediction  that  I believe  England  will  not  lose  In- 
dia; for  the  prediction  is  that  it  is  to  be  hers.  And 
again,  we  read  in  another  passage  that  Ham  is  to  be  a 
bondsman  of  bondsmen.  Now  what  is  the  existing  fact  ? 
The  African  is  a slave  still.  I am  not  justifying  the 
people  that  make  him  a slave ; but  it  is  the  fact  in  the 
Southern  States  of  America,  it  is  the  fact  too  in  other 
districts  of  the  tropical  climates  ; and  a fact  that  we  can- 
not get  rid  of,  and  that  even  all  efforts  to  prevent  have 
only  ended  in  promoting;  that  the  children  of  Canaan  or 


66 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


of  Ham  are  bondsmen  of  bondsmen.  You  have  there- 
fore the  predictions  of  old  being  fulfilled  ; and  the  more 
3mu  become  acquainted  with  the  world,  the  more  ex- 
actly you  reach  the  evidence  of  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy,  Knowledge  shall  be  increased.’’  It  used  to 
be  said  of  the  Hindoos,  I remember  reading  in  books  on 
the  subject,  that  they  w^ere  such  a mild,  amiable,  and 
gentle  race,  that  many  of  the  newspapers  of  twenty  and 
thirty  years  ago,  and  some,  I believe,  of  the  Directors  of 
that  day  used  to  say,  they  were  far  better  without  Chris- 
tianity than  with  it ; and  that  when  they  became  Chris- 
tians it  only  made  them  worse.  But  what  is  the  dis- 
closure ? That  greater  liars  do  not  exist  in  the  world 
than  the  Hindoos ; that  you  cannot  always  trust  them  out 
of  sight ; that  they  are  deceptive  ; and  we  have  seen  by 
recent  events  such  outbursts  of  fanaticism,  cruelty,  blood- 
shed, and  crime,  that  we  Avonder  how  any  that  knew 
them  thirty  years  ago  could  give  them  such  and  so  splen- 
did a character ; and  we  have  learned  that  Scripture  has 
not  exaggerated  its  portrait  of  human  nature  when  it 
tells  us  it  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 
Avicked.”  And  you  Avill  find  that  man  is  the  same  in  all 
places,  as  our  knoAvledge  increases.  Let  him  dwell  in 
the  kraal  of  the  Hottentot;  in  the  snow-cave  of  the 
Greenlander ; in  the  cabin  of  the  Irish,  in  the  sheilin  of 
the  Scottish  Highlander ; in  the  palaces  of  kings,  in  the 
halls  of  nobles  ; wherever  you  find  him,  and  under  Ayhat- 
ever  color,  and  in  whatever  clime,  and  in  AvhateA^er  com- 
plications of  political  and  social  circumstances — he  is 
manifested  as  the  creature  that  fell  in  Paradise,  has  re- 
duced himself  to  moral  and  physical  ruin ; but  Avill  one  day 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


67 


be  reinstated  in  the  lost  glory,  and  in  happiness  greater 
than  that  which  he  originally  possessed. 

I may  mention  another  instance  of  the  increase  of 
knowledge,  in  respect  to  languages.  It  has  been  a long 
discussion,  are  all  languages  any  way  connected  ? Any- 
body that  will  read  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin,  will  see 
satisflictory  proof  there  that  they  are  connected ; and  if 
you  trace  certain  familiar  words,  you  will  find  they  run 
through  all.  For  instance,  the  word  wine  is  the  same 
in  almost,  I think,  all  languages  under  the  sun ; and  the 
Avord  sack  is  the  same  in  Greek,  Hebrew,  Latin,  French, 
Spanish,  Italian,  English,  and  almost  all  languages  ; and 
many  other  words  might  be  specified.  And  Dr.  Wise- 
man, who  is  a A^ery  learned  scholar,  I mean  lecarned  in 
languages,  has  stated  in  his  book,  entitled  ^‘The  Con- 
nection betAveen  Science  and  Eevealed  Religion,’’  a book 
of  great  research  and  talent — because  while  Ave  deplore 
and  condemn  his  superstition,  it  Avould  not  be  fair  to 
deny  him  what  is  good,  and  right,  and  true;  we  may  ad- 
mire the  eyes  and  spots  of  the  viper,  while  Ave  admits  its 
poison  and  dread  its  sting,  and  call  it  a viper  still — that 
it  has  been  discoA^ered  as  the  result  of  the  most  exact 
investigation  that  all  languages  have  affi'nities  enough  to 
indicate  a common  source;  but  certain  dislocations  that 
prove  that  some  time  in  their  history  there  have  occurred 
in  them  a great  fracture.  Just  go  back  to  Avhat  sceptics 
make  m.erry  with,  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  Babel,  and 
you  have  the  great  fracture  Avhich  science  has  concluded 
must  liaA^e  one  day  taken  place. 

If  Ave  look  at  knoAvledge  in  all  shapes  and  forms,  w^e 
^ shall  find  that  in  all  respects  it  has  been  vastly  increased. 


68 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


The  folio  read  by  the  few  is  now  the  tract  that  is  read  by 
the  many.  You  will  get  as  much  information  now  in  a 
penny  newspaper  as  you  would  have  got  for  a guinea 
and  a half  before,  and  that  not  very  many  years  age. 
A Bible,  that  now  costs  tenpence,  once  would  have  cost 
as  much  as  the  building  of  one  of  the  arches  of  London 
Bridge ; so  much  has  knowledge  in  that  respect  been  in- 
creased. Discoveries,  it  took  years  to  make  known,  are 
literally  flashed  upon  your  minds  like  lightning.  Knowl- 
edge that  used  to  be  thought  too  sacred  or  grand  to  be 
committed  to  living  languages  is  now  on  every  man’s 
tongue.  I will  venture  to  say  that  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  in  London  knows  more  and  is  better 
instructed,  and  wiser,  than  some  of  the  old  cathedral 
chapters  or  ecclesiastical  rulers  some  three  or  four  hun- 
dred years  ago.  And  why  is  it  so  ? Because  knowledge 
has  so  rapidly  increased.  The  embankments  of  learning 
are  all  broken  down ; rivers  rush  forth  in  the  desert ; 
and  where  aristocrats  sipped  deliciously,  millions  now 
slake  their  thirst,  and  are  refreshed  and  satisfied.  Then 
see,  in  the  next  place,  as  an  evidence  of  the  increase 
of  knowledge,  the  increase  of  it  in  depth  and  in  breadth. 
Sciences  known  long  ago  are  now  more  completely  mas- 
tered and  understood.  And  then  if  you  apply  this  to 
sacred  learning,  the  reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century 
were  better  divines  than  the  fathers  of  the  third,  fourth, 
and  fifth  centuries ; and  I venture  to  assert  that  the 
best  divines  of  the  present  day  know  more  of  the  Bible 
than  the  fathers  and  the  reformers  together.  There  is 
a great  mistake  about  that  ecclesiastical  word  father;” 
when  you  hear  of  certain  fathers,  Chrysostom,  Augus- 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


G9 


tine,  Tertullian,  and  others,  you  think  of  antiquity ; 
but  the  true  fathers  of  the  Christian  Church  are  the  di- 
vines of  the  present  day ; and  the  babes  and  children 
of  the  church  were  the  so-called  fathers  of  the  first  five 
centuries ; because  we  have  all  that  they  wrote,  and  our 
own  researches  in  addition  ; w’^e  have  the  lights  of  science, 
the  fruits  of  criticism,  the  discoveries  of  travellers,  the 
disclosures  of  investigation.  And  their  errors  are  of 
importance  to  us.  When  a wreck  sinks  in  the  Channel, 
they  put  a buoy  over  it,  to  let  other  ships  know  they  are 
not  to  sail  over  that  spot.  The  very  errors  of  the  fath- 
ers have  buoys  over  them  in  the  great  channels  of 
thought  and  knowledge  ; and  they  let  us  know,  while  we 
take  the  good  that  is  in  them,  what  and  where  are  the 
errors  that  we  are  to  avoid.  So  That,  as  I have  observed, 
knowledge  is  increased  in  depth  ; and  it  is  increased 
exceedingly  in  area  or  surface.  Many  years  ago  the  sub- 
terranean population  of  London,  those  called  the  Arabs 
and  the  Bedouins  of  our  streets,  were  the  greater  part 
sunk  in  utter  darkness ; but  now,  in  consequence  of  t e 
action  of  ragged  schools,  they  are  becoming  more  and 
more  enlightened.  I heard  from  the  treasurer  of  the 
Field  Lane  Ragged  School,  that  twenty  of  these  children, 
once  wicked  and  worthless,  have  been  drafted  into  Her 
Majesty’s  navy,  and  promise  to  be  good  sailors ; they 
have  been  rescued  from  the  streets,  preserved  from  be- 
coming thieves,  and  are  now  entering  the  navy,  where  I 
have  not  the  least  doubt,  that  these  boys,  so  acute  in 
intellect,  so  quick  in  perception,  so  intelligent,  and  hat- 
ing now  received  a thorough  Christian  education,  will 
prove  as  fine  sailors  in  the  day  of  trial  as  ever  trod  a 


70 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


British  deck.  I remember  in  1848  that  class  of  our  pop- 
ulation was  looked  upon  with  perfect  terror ; and  I be- 
lieve that,  up  to  that  period,  there  was  growing  a sub- 
terranean force  under  the  population  of  London,  that,  if 
left  alone,  like  gunpowder  ignited,  would  have  blown  the 
whole  edifice  to  atoms.  But  by  the  efforts  of  Lord 
Shaftesbury — a name  that  ought  to  be  dear  wherever 
there  is  a Christian,  or  Englishman,  or  indeed  a man — 
by  his  efforts  specially,  I do  not  say  alone,  and  the  efforts 
of  others;  and  ihoye  all,  the  self-denying  efforts  of  rag- 
ged-school teachers  ; I venture  to  assert  that  a change 
has  been  made  in  tlie  mass  of  that  population  that  has 
raised  it  to  a level  we  never  could  have  anticipated  as  pos- 
sible, or  that  would  have  occurred  so  soon  ; and  is  evi- 
dence in  its  place  that  knowledge  is  not  only  spreading, 
but  it  is  descending,  it  is  rising  up ; and  the  higher 
classes  will  have  to  m.ake  haste,  or  the  lower  classes  at 
their  heels  will  very  soon  overtake  them  ; and  we  are 
glad  of  it : the  more  that  the  poorer  classes  know,  the 
more  the  rich  will  feel  it  their  duty  to  know.  All 
prestige  now  sinks  in  comparison  of  that  knowledge 
that  is  power,  exceeded  only  by  that  knowledge  of  God 
in  Christ  which  is  peace-  x\.nd  now-a-days,  too,  the 
Bible  distributor  follows  the  march  of  armies  : the  Wal- 
densian  paste iirs  at  this  moment  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Turin,  Alessandria,  and  the  other  great  fortifications 
in  Italy,  and  are  so  far  in  Austria,  are  preaching  the 
Gospel  where  war  has  launched  its  thunders,  and  show- 
ing the  way  that  leads  to  heaven  and  to  happiness,  to 
thousands  ignorant  of  it.  We  can  see,  therefore,  in  ah 
these  aspects,  how  knowledge  is  increasing — rapidly  and 


LOCOMOTION  AND  LEARNING. 


71 


deeply — and  Low  it  goes  where  it  formerly  would  not 
have  dared  to  look.  The  walls  of  China  are  levelled 
Avith  the  dust ; its  countless  gates  are  opened  to  the 
access  of  the  missionary ; and  the  Gospel  is  at  this  mo- 
ment being  preached  in  its  heretofore  impenetrable 
tongue  by  a young  man,  who,  fifteen  years  ago,  Avas  in 
our  schools,  or,  at  least,  took  an  active  part  in  them,  and 
sat,  and  Avas  baptized,  Avhere  I now  minister.  I need 
not  tell  you,  that,  in  India,  Avhere  Christianity  is  deep- 
est, there  peace  is  greatest.  I Avas  talking  Avith  one  wor- 
shipping here,  Avho  is  the  greatest  authority  in  every 
sense  of  the  Avord  as  to  Avhat  religion  has  done  in  India : 
and  that  great  and  distinguished  man  told  me,  that  in 
every  instance  Avhere  there  was  most  of  the  Christian 
religion  in  Hindostan  there  Avas  least  of  disaffection  ; 
and  that  Christianity  had  nothing  to  do  Avith  the  mutiny 
of  the  Hindoos ; and  Avhere  it  seemed  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  it,  it  was  the  indiscretion  of  the  missionaries, 
not  the  Christianity  that  they  Avere  charged  to  teach.  And 
I am  only  sorry  that  ome  great  in  poAver  are  advocating 
in  the  schools  in  India  what  they  call  a neutrality ; that 
is  the  policy  of  keeping  the  Bible  out  of  them.  I asked 
that  most  competent  judge,  Avhat  he  thought  the  effect 
Avould  be  of  saying  to  the  schools  in  India,  You  may 
have  every  book,  but  you  shall  not  have  the  Bible  ? 
He  said,  instead  of  securing  peace  for  India,  it  Avould 
rather  bring  on  trouble.  But,  mark  you,  throughout 
the  Punjaub,  he  took  a deep  interest  in  everything  con- 
nected Avith  it ; he  said  that  he  never  found  that  the  Bible 
in  the  school  in  the  least  degree  created  disaffection.  If 
you  force  it  upon  the  people,  that  is  persecution ; this 


72 


THE  GHEAT  TRIEULATIOJ^. 


must  not  be  : if  you  insist  upon  their  reading  it  when 
they  do  not  belong  to  your  religion,  that  is  intolerance ; 
that  must  not  be  : but  because  you  will  not  force  them 
to  read  it,  nor  thrust  it  on  them,  why  should  despatches 
be  issued  stating  that  in  India  there  is  to  be  no  Bible  in 
the  schools  ? Cannot  you  let  the  Bible  lie  upon  the 
table?  Is  it  persecution  that  the  master  should  say, 
Now  here  is  the  book  of  God  ; if  you  will  let  me  read 
it,  I will  do  so ; and  if  you  will  read  it  yourselves,  you 
may  do  so  ? That  seems  to  be  a duty ; and  I do  hope 
that,  whoever  may  direct  the  affairs  of  India,  he  will  not 
succeed  (and  this  is  not  a political  question,  but  a high, 
spiritual,  and  Christian  question)  in  introducing  into  the 
schools  of  that  land  a neutrality  which,  in  other  words, 
is  absolute  atheism.  We  would  not  thrust  our  religion 
upon  them,  we  would  not  compel  them  to  read  our  Bible; 
but  surely  it  is  the  duty  of  a great  Christian  land  like 
this  to  let  the  Bible  lie  on  the  school  table,  and  to  give 
all  that  will  an  opportunity  of  drinking  of  its  living 
w^aters;  a privilege  w'e  ought  not  to  deny;  a duty,  I 
think,  that  we  ought  most  faithfully  and  fully  to  dis- 
charge. 

I think  I have  shown  from  facts  that  this  prochecy  is 
not  only  fulfilling,  but  almost  fiulfilled  in  the  present 
day  We  draw  from  all  this  encouragement  to  sov;-  the 
seeds  of  truth,  to  diffuse  real  religion,  and  to  spread  the 
Bible.  In  doing  so  we  are  moving  in  the  groove  in 
which  God  himself  has  proceeded  and  gone  before.  En- 
coiii'agement  is  given  us  to  pray,  ‘‘  Thy  kingdom  come;’’ 
for,  what  do  we  pray  for  ? That  God  would  translate 
promise  into  enjoyment,  and  prophecy  into  fact.  And 


LOCO^ilOTION  AN!)  LEARNING. 


73 


we  may  live,  or  our  children  may  live,  it  may  be  that 
some  aged  persons  that  read  these  words  may  live,  to 
hear  in  the  eastern  gale  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion ; and 
in  the  western  winds  the  voice  of  reclaimed  and  redeemed 
nations.  Me  thinks,  standing  on  the  Alps,  I can  already 
see  Italy  casting  off  the  shroud  from  its  face,  and  the 
grave-clothes  from  its  limbs ; and  feeling  the  warm  and 
genial  beams  of  that  Sun  that  has  long  been  a stranger 
to  that  beautiful  land ; methinks,  standing  upon  the 
Andes,  I can  see  South  America  and  the  isles  of  the 
Pacific  recognizing  the  approach  of  Him  whose  right  it 
is  to  reign  ; and,  standing  upon  the  mountains  of  Thibet, 
I can  see  in  the  jungles  of  India,  and  amidst  the  plains 
of  China,  multitudes  joining  in  the  praises  of  our  God. 
Let  us  take  heart ; the  Star  of  Bethlehem  shall  be  the 
glory  of  the  universe ; long-crushed  Palastine  shall  yet 
echo  with  the  hum  of  happy  millions ; and  the  last  linger- 
ing Arab  shall  embrace  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 


“ Till  o’er  our  ransomed  nature, 
The  Lamb  for  sinners  slain, 
Redeemer,  King,  Creator, 

In  bliss  returns  to  reign.” 


4 


lecture  XXV. 


NO  MORE  SEA. 

A great  transformation  awaits  the  earth,  of  which  in- 
stalments are  daily  multiplying ; one  of  these  is  thus  in- 
timated— 

There  was  no  more  seaJ^ — Eevelation  xxi.  1. 

Prophecy  often  states  in  the  past  what  really  relates  to 
and  is  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  future.  The  Apocalypse 
passes  before  the  eyes  of  John  as  a brilliant  panorama ; 
he  sees  the  whole  sweep  past,  while  he  records  what  he 
saw  as  it  swept  past  him.  But  the  whole  of  it,  at  the 
same  time,  or  at  least  the  last  half  of  it,  is  the  prediction 
of  things  that  are  to  be,  and  not  the  historic  statement  of 
things  that  were. 

What  is  meant  by  the  strange,  we  would  almost  say 
startling,  prediction,  There  shall  be  no  more  sea?’^ 
Does  it  mean  that  God  is  literally  to  annihilate  the  ocean, 
to  dry  up  its  waste  and  wilderness  of  waten'^,  and  to  turn 
it  into  dry  land  ? There  is  no  proof  of  this  : we  believe 
that  all  God  has  made  is  to  endure  for  ever,  all  that  sin 
has  originated  as  its  progeny  is  to  be  cut  off  and  cease  for 
ever.  We  find  on  referring  to  the  original  record  in  the 
book  of  Genesis,  at  the  9th  verse  of  the  1st  chapter,  that 
God  said,  Let  the  waters  under  the  heaven  be  gathered 


together  unto  one  place,  and  let  the  dry  land  appear  : 
and  it  was  so.  And  God  called  the  dry  land  Earth ; and 
the  gathering  together  of  the  waters  called  the  Seas.” 
So  again  in  the  104th  Psalm  we  find  God  spoken  of  in 
this  way,  in  language  most  magnificent — poetry  that, 
were  it  contained  in  Shakspeare  or  Byron,  would  be 
quoted  as  a perfect  masterpiece  of  beauty ; but  because 
it  is  contained  in  the  Bible,  literary  men  have  no  appre- 
ciation of  its  beauties.  He  says,  speaking  of  the  earth, 
^^Thou  coveredst  it  with  the  deep  as  with  a garment:” 
what  a beautiful  idea — the  earth  covered  with  a shining 
mantle,  that  mantle  the  broad  expanse  of  the  crystal 
ocean!  Thou  coveredst  it  with  the  deep  as* with  a gar- 
ment; the  waters  stood  above  the  mountains.  At  thj^ 
rebuke  they  fled ; at  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  they  hasted 
away.  They  go  up  by  the  mountains ; they  go  down  by 
the  valleys  unto  the  place  which  thou  hast  founded  for 
them.  Thou  hast  set  a bound  that  they  may  not  pass 
over;  that  they  turn  not  again  to  cover  the  earth.”  All 
this  indicates  that  God  made  the  ocean ; and  as  God,  in 
the  very  beautiful  and  happy  language  of  a Collect  of  the 
Church  of  England,  hateth  nothing  that  he  hath  made,” 
but  hates  only  the  defiling  taint  that  has  spread  over  the 
beautiful  garment,  and  stained  it  with  hues  that  were  not 
originally  on  it,  we  have  no  rg^ison  to  expect  that  he  will 
destroy  the  sea  or  anything  that  he  has  made ; on  the 
contrary,  that  the  regenesis  of  the  future  will  be  the  res- 
toration of  more  than  the  genesis  of  the  past ; that  what- 
ever sin  has  done  shall  be  repaired;  whatever  disease, 
decay,  and  death,  have  wasted  shall  be  restored : in  other 
words,  Christ  will  come  to  our  world  not  the  destroyer 


76 


THE  GREx\T  TillBULATION. 


of  what  he  made,  but  the  redeemer  of  what  sin  has  made 
its  slave,  its  thrall,  and  its  victim.  But  if  this  be  the 
case,  still  you  ask,  how  can  the  prediction  be  fulfilled. 
There  shall  be  no  more  sea?’’  I will  show  you  just 
by  a parallel  passage  in  the  22nd  chapter  what  must  be 
its  meaning.  We  read  in  another  passage  in  the  22nd 
chapter,  at  the  5th  verse,  And  there  shall  be  no  night 
there.”  What  does  that  mean  ? If  the  earth  in  the  day 
of  its  restoration,  as  we  expect  and  believe,  shall  revolve 
round  its  axis,  and  if  the  sun  shall  occupy  his  central 
throne  in  our  system,  it  is  quite  plain  that  there  must  be 
the  alternation  of  day  and  night.  We  cannot  conceive 
that  those  alternations  will  cease  as  long  as  the  main 
laws  of  our  existing  economy  continue.  It  is  obvious 
then,  that  by  the  prediction,  ‘‘There  shall  be  no  night 
there,”  it  must  be  meant  that  all  the  damp,  the  clouds, 
the  danger,  the  uncertainty,  the  precariousness,  that  are 
the  accompaniments  of  night,  shall  not  exist  under  the 
regime  in  which  the  earth  shall  be  placed  at  that  day ; 
but  that  a glory  shall  rise  upon  the  ocean  and  upon  the 
earth,  so  great,  that  there  shall  be  no  need  comparatively 
of  the  sun  and  the  moon  to  shine  on  it : for  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the  light  thereof.  And 
in  the  21st  chapter,  where  he  says,  “ The  city  had  no 
need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it;”  it 
does  not  mean  that  the  sun  will  sink  and  be  destroyed ; 
but  it  means  that  there  will  he  a compensatory  glory  that 
will  render  sunlight  as  dim  amid  its  effulgence,  as  a can- 
dle light  is  dim  amid  the  beams  of  the  noonday  sun.  Thus 
when  we  read,  “ There  shall  be  no  night  there,”  it  means 
that  whatever  night  has  now  of  uncertainty,  or  danger, 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


77 


or  disturbance,  shall  altogether  be  put  away.  Wherever 
there  are  the  fruits  of  sin,  mark  you,  such  as  tears,  and 
grief,  and  sorrow,  and  suffering,  there  shall  be  absolute 
annihilation  on  this  earth ; but  wherever  there  is  what 
God  made,  there  shall  be  reconsecration,  purification,  and 
adjustment.  The  prediction,  There  shall  be  no  more 
sea,’’  is  exactly  the  same  as  No  more  night namely, 
whatever  are  the  perils,  whatever  the  evils,  Avhatever  the 
disturbances,  represented  by  night  and  sea,  shall  cease  in 
that  blessed  and  happy  day.  For  instance,  in  northern 
latitudes,  in  the  extreme  north  of  Scotland,  I have  heard 
people  say,  “There  is  no  night  here.”  You  ask,  How 
can  that  be?  The  answer  is,  when  the  sun  sets,  the  Au- 
rora Borealis — supposed  by  the  most  recent  discoveries 
of  astronomy  to  be  connected  with  a ring  round  our  earth, 
as  Saturn  has  a bright  ring  round  him ; certainly  not 
derived  from  the  sun — shines  with  a brilliancy  and  a 
beauty  that  will  enable  you  in  its  mysterious  light  to  read 
even  the  smallest  type.  So  in  the  age  to  come,  when 
the  seer  says,  “ There  shall  be  no  need  of  the  sun,  nor  of 
the  moon,”  the  explanation  of  it  is  given  ; “ for  the  glory 
of  God  did  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.” 
Therefore  we  understand,  that  as  “ No  more  night,”  does 
not  mean  the  extinction  of  the  physical  an^angements  of 
our  system  or  economy;  so,  “No  more  sea  does  not 
mean  the  drying  up  of  the  ocean,  or  the  annihilation  of 
its  waters,  but  its  regeneration  and  restoration  to  that 
state  in  which  it  was  when  God  looked  upon  that  shining 
Robe,  and  saw  no  flaw  on  it,  and  pronounced  it  very  good. 

It  is  a just  impression  that  religion  is  not  a thing  for 
the  sanctuary  only,  but  for  everywhere  ; and  that  one 


78  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 

should  associate  all  providence  throughout  its  varied 
chapters  with  all  grace  throughout  its  successive  king- 
doms. The  subject  of  this  lecture  was  suggested  by 
reading  in  the  newspapers,  that  the  two  worlds,  new  and 
old,  were  connected  by  the  electric  wire;  and  by  the 
strange  remark  of  a secualr  newspaper,  There  is  no 
more  Atlantic  Ocean.’’  That  expression  instantly  sug- 
gested, perhaps  from  previous  reading,  this  beautiful  pre- 
diction, There  shall  be  no  more  sea.”  Not  that  I sup- 
pose the  electric  telegraph  is  to  fulfil  this ; not  that  its 
accomplishment,  when  it  shall  be  completed,  and  the  two 
great  continents  shall  talk  together,  will  exhaust  this ; 
though  one  rejoices  to  see  in  it  something  like  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  prophecy  in  Malachi,  ‘^He  shall  turn  the 
hearts  of  the  children  to  the  fathers,  and  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  lest  I smite  the  earth  with  a curse.”  Our 
children  arc  the  great  Republic  across  the  Atlantic ; we 
are  their  fathers  and  mothers ; and  one  sees  in  this  beau- 
tiful bond  of  union  and  communion,  as  soon  as  it  shall 
be  achieved,  if  not,  as  I do  not  venture  to  say,  the  ful- 
filment of  Malachi’s  prediction,  at  least  a happy  illus- 
tration of  it  that  we  do  well  to  take  notice  of  But 
that  the  accomplishment  of  this  great  feat  of  science  is 
not  the  fulfilment,  I mean  the  perfect  fulfilment  of  this 
text,  is  plain  enough ; because,  alas ! if  we  look  at  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  that  separates  England  from  America, 
we  see  there  indeed  incipient  bonds  of  sisterhood  and 
brotherhood,  and  union  and  communion  ; but  without 
imputing  anything — we  see  other  signs  if  we  look  across 
a nearer  and  narrower  sea.  We  see  the  ocean  imprison- 
ed within  the  excavated  rock ; that  imprisoned  ocean 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


79 


made  to  bear  upon  its  reluctant  breast  great  ships,  teethed 
with  cannon,  and  laden  with  shot  and  all  the  apparatus 
of  war;  we  see  the  ocean  compelled  to  look  up  to  the 
great  heights  bristling  with  guns,  looking,  no  doubt  not 
intended,  as  if  it  were  a frown  of  defiance  to  this  isle, 
which  is  our  country  and  our  home.  Cherbourg  has  to 
my  eye  no  charm ; it  is  the  exponent  of  war ; it  is  the 
memorial  of  what  has  been ; it  is  the  awful  prophecy 
of  what  will  be  till  the  Prince  of  Peace  come.  But 
I confess  the  electric  telegraph  has  to  me  an  ineffable 
charm  ; it  is  the  symbol  of  peace ; it  is  the  type  of  union, 
communion,  and  brotherhood ; it  has  almost  a mediatorial 
beauty;  and  it  seems  to  speak  from  the  mysterious 
depths  of  ocean,  where  it  will  one  day  sleep  I trust 
securely — 


“ From  either  beach 

The  voice  of  love  shall  reach, 

More  audible  than  speech, 

We  are  one.” 

I regard  all  the  discoveries  of  science  as  instalments 
of  what  will  be,  a grand  regenesis,  as  gleams  and  flashes 
vouchsafed  from  heaven  to  let  us  know  that  the  great 
Light  is  not  extinct,  and  that  God  has  neither  forgotten 
us  nor  forsaken  his  own  promises.  I look  upon  it  that 
this  earth,  in  the  beautiful  language  of  the  apostle  Paul, 
groans  and  travails  in  pain,  waiting  for  deliverance. 
Groans  and  travails  in  pain,  what  an  expression  ! — in 
other  words,  our  earth  and  our  ocean  are  under  a repres- 
sive curse ; and  the  reason  why  it  is  not  Paradise,  is 
that  the  curse  keeps  doAvn  all  the  beauty  that  is  in  its 


80 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


bosom,  and  that  it  has  not  yet  felt  the  consecrating  foot- 
step of  Him  who  will  bring  forth  all  its  latent  glory. 
But  in  the  meanwhile  these  discoveries,  so  wonderful  and 
accumulating,  like  star  leaping  upon  star  in  a wintry 
night,  are  to  me  evidences  of  those  latent  possibilities  of 
good  that  are  hidden  in  the  economy  of  things  which  wait 
for  God  to  say,  Come  forth,’’  and  they  will  come  forth 
in  all  their  grandeur.  For  instance,  winter  under  its 
snowy  mantle,  in  the  months  of  December  and  January 
has  under  it,  sleeping  it  is  true,  but  not  dead,  all  the 
glories  and  the  splendors  of  J une.  So  this  earth,  this 
world,  is  now  in  its  winter  season,  frost-bitten  and  sin- 
covered  ; but  yet  it  has  under  it  all  the  beauties  and 
the  glories  of  ancient  Paradise ; and  as  soon  as  that  sum- 
mer sun  that  we  expect  shall  rise  and  shine  upon  our 
world,  there  shall  be  no  more  killing  frosts,  nor  chilling 
fogs,  nor  damps ; nothing  that  defileth  ; nothing  that  can 
cause  tears ; no  spring  or  source  of  pain  ; but  every  gar- 
den shall  be  as  Eden,  and  every  desert  shall  smile  and 
blossom  like  the  rose.  I look  upon  the  wire  that  will 
one  day  connect  these  two  great  continents  into  one 
brotherhood  as  an  earnest  vouchsafed  from  heaven  that 
God  has  not  forgotten  what  a wreck  and  dislocation  sin 
has  made ; nor  has  He  forgotten  what  a grand  promise 
of  a perfect  restoration  yet  awaits  us.  I look  upon  the 
incidental  discoveries  of  science,  steam,  and  electricity, 
and  all  that  we  are  familiar  with,  and  that  it  would  be 
needless  for  me  to  recapitulate  here,  as  provisionally  con- 
necting the  two  Paradises.  Did  this  thought  ever  strike 
you,  while  walking  in  your  gardens  in  winter,  and  look- 
ing at  the  laurel  and  the  great  sisterhood  of  ever- 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


81 


greens — these  evergreens  are  perpetuated  through  the 
winter  as  it  were  to  keep  open  the  path  of  the  summer 
that  has  gone  for  its  return  again  ? So  I look  upon 
these  discoveries  of  science  as  a sort  of  keeping  open  the 
pathway  from  Paradise  that  is  gone,  to  Paradise  that  is 
to  come  again ; showing  that  God  has  not  forgotten  us, 
and  that  this  world  is  not  forsaken  by  Him.  I must  say 
I dislike  seeing  everything  in  the  light  of  politics,  in  the 
light  of  pounds,  shillings  and  pence.  I like  sometimes 
to  look  at  things  in  that  high  and  beautiful  light  in  which 
they  will  all  shine  and  sparkle  in  a brighter  and  a better 
day. 

Having  thus  explained  my  meaning,  let  me  show  you 
what  are  the  blessings  that  I have  said  we  may  expect 
to  come,  and  what  are  the  evils  that  I have  said  we  may 
expect  to  be  removed,  when  there  shall  be  no  more  sea. 
First  of  all  there  shall  be  no  more  war  in  its  depths  be- 
tween the  tribes  that  God  originally  placed  there.  God 
made  the  youngest  and  the  smallest  minnow’  as  well  as 
the  tallest  and  the  greatest  angel ; and  the  one  has  on  it 
as  many  traces  of  God  as  the  other.  For  w’^hat  did  He 
say? — Let  the  waters  bring  forth  abundantly  the  mov- 
ing creatures  that  hath  life,  and  let  man  have  dominion 
over  the  fish  of  the  sea.’’  But  the  instant  sin  came  in, 
it  struck  down  into  the  very  depths  of  the  ocean  as  well 
as  rose  to  the  very  heights  of  the  air ; and  the  moment 
it  reached  the  depths,  the  calm  depths  of  the  ocean,  it 
" kindled  an  internecine  war,  so  that  the  caves  of  the  sea 
have  become  camps,  the  sparkling  sands  have  become  the 
dust  of  battle-fields,  and  the  spacious  floor  of  the  ocean 
is  strewn  with  wrecks  and  covered  with  the  remains  of 
4'^ 


82 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


war.  But  He  that  said  once,  Peace,  be  still,’’  and  its 
waves  became  like  infants,  and  lay  down  by  his  holy  feet, 
will  say  again,  Peace,  be  still,”  as  he  waves  his  priest- 
ly hand  over  all  creation ; and  then  what  shall  take 
place  ? It  is  not  my  conjecture  nor  your  guess,  but  pos- 
itive prediction  in  the  8th  psalm,  ^^All  things  shall  be 
under  his  feet,”  that  is,  Christ’s  feet ; the  fowl  of  the  air, 
and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever  passeth  through 
the  paths  of  the  sea.”  Here  is  the  very  first  blessing 
that  will  be — that  the  fish  in  the  deep  made  by  God,  set 
against  each  other  by  sin,  meant  to  be  under  the  domin- 
ion of  man,  shall  be  restored  to  peace,  and  shall  again 
be  subject  to  man ; and  the  trout  and  the  minnow,  and 
the  whale,  and  the  leviathan  of  the  deep,  the  moment 
that  they  see  man  will  recognize  their  lord,  and  hear  his 
voice  and  obey  his  behests,  for  God  has  said  it,  and  it  is 
not  a poet’s  dream,  or  an  uninspired  man’s  reverie  : 
‘‘  Thou  wilt  put  all  things  under  his  feet ; the  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever  passeth 
through  the  paths  of  the  sea.”  I do  not  stop  to  mar  the 
thought  I am  considering  by  suggestions  that  will  spring 
up  about  the  sea  being  over-peopled ; just  as  certain  peo- 
ple, some  eighty  or  a hundred  years  ago,  talked  of  the 
world  being  over-peopled.  It  is  all  nonsense.  It  will  be 
time  enough  to  consider  such  inconveniences  when  the 
event  comes  ; it  has  not  come  in  any  sense  yet.  What- 
ever God  has  said  shall  be,  I thoroughly  and  heartily  be- 
lieve ; and  the  difficulties  that  are  about  it  never  trouble 
m.c  in  the  least.  The  God  that  gave  the  promise  will 
take  care  to  arrange  and  solve  the  difficulties. 

When  there  shall  be  no  m.ore  sea,  I hold  there  will  be 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


83 


no  more  tempest  and  storm  ; and  wreck  and  ruin,  the 
consequence  of  tempest  and  storm.  What  heart  has  not 
often  quaked  when  the  wind  whistled  at  our  doors  on  a 
winter  night,  howled  down  the  dreary  chimney,  and 
rushed  with  its  outspread  wings  careering  in  the  skies, 
as  you  recollected  that  you  had  a son,  a daughter,  a 
fatlier,  a mother,  a sister  or  a brother  on  the  ocean,  with 
only  an  inch  of  oak  between  life  and  a watery  grave  ! 
Who  has  not  read,  and  felt  his  sympathy  stirred,  by  what 
David  tells  us  in  the  Psalms,  in  language  equally  sub- 
lime as  that  I have  quoted  before,  They  that  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business  in  the  great  waters  ; 
these  see  the  Avorks  of  the  Lord,  and  his  wonders  in  the 
deep  ! For  he  commandeth,  and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind, 
which  lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof.’'’  What  an  idea,  as 
as  if  the  winds  outstretched  their  great  palms  or  hands, 
and  lifted  up  the  great  waves  upon  them  ! They  mount 
up  to  the  heavens,  they  go  down  again  to  the  depths ; 
their  soul  is  melted  because  of  trouble.”  Who  has  not 
felt  the  sensation  at  sea  of  the  royal  Psalmist,  when  the 
ship  lifts  her  bows  as  if  she  Avas  about  to  ascend  to  the 
stars,  and  then  rushes  doAvn  again  as  if  she  Av^re  descend- 
ing into  the  very  depths  of  the  sea ; and  who  does  not 
understand  what  is  here  stated,  their  soul  is  melted  be- 
cause of  trouble?”  Again  he  says,  They  reel  to  and 
fro,  and  stagger  like  a drunken  man,  and  are  at  their 
wits’  end.  Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble, 
and  he  bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses.  He  mak- 
eth  the  storm  a calm,  so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still.” 
How  just  is  the  picture  ! Nature  must  have  been  in 
David’s  days  as  it  is  now ; the  same  troubled,  and  dis- 


84 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


turbed,  and  fretful  thing  that  sin  has  made  it.  Or  if  I 
may  quote  an  uninspired  poet’s  picture  of  a storm,  if  not 
like  the  inspired  one,  yet  it  is  more  expressive  than  any- 
thing I can  say, — 

“ ’Tis  a drieary  thing  to  be 

Tossing  on  the  wide,  wide  sea  ; 

When  the  sun  has  set  in  clouds, 

And  the  wind  sighs  through  the  shrouds, 

With  a voice  and  with  a tone 
Like  an  evil  creature’s  moan.” 

When  there  shall  be  no  more  sea,  and  these  the  pro- 
phet’s words  shall  have  become  the  historian’s  record,  what 
shall  take  place  ? Not  the  sea  shall  be  annihilated,  but 
the  winds  shall  be  in  sweet  harmony  with  the  waves ; the 
ocean  and  the  atmosphere  shall  embrace  each  other  like 
loving  sisters ; both  shall  hear  again  the  same  voice  that 
they  heard  in  Galilee,  and  wind  and  wave  shall  render, 
not  the  obedience  of  an  hour,  but  the  obedience  of  a thou- 
sand years ; then  there  will  be  beauty  upon  its  bosom,  there 
will  be  only  music  in  its  chimes  ; the  gems  upon  its  floor 
will  sparkle  in  a new  light ; it  will  cease  to  seek  to  muster 
forces  and  rise  to  the  mountain  tops ; and  the  Psalmist 
will  no  more  describe  it  as  a prison,  as  he  now  does,  but 
will  see  in  it  a department  of  the  palace  of  the  great 
King ; for  there  shall  be  no  more  storm,  or  tempest,  or 
anything  to  hurt,  or  convulse,  or  destroy. 

“ No  more  sea,”  conveys  to  every  reflecting  mind  an- 
other thought,  and  a very  refreshing  one  ; it  will  no  more 
be  the  grave  of  nations.  What  is  the  sea  now  ? The 
great  grave-yard  of  the  world  itself  Many  a family  have 
some  one  nearly  related  to  them  sleeping  in  that  sepulchre. 
We  know  that  its  waves  sweep  over  and  toll  the  knell 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


85 


every  day  of  millions  of  the  uncoffined  dead.  The  fairest 
forms  are  there  wrapped  in  the  dank  sea- weeds,  and  ,bra.ve 
hearts  that  once  were  full  of  life  now  heave  only  with  the 
restless  waves ; and  whole  crews  of  great  ships  sleep  there 
the  sleep  that  knows  no  wakening ; and  the  very  pine 
woods  that  grow  on  its  steeps  seem  to  me  to  join  in  the 
ceaseless  funeral  anthem  chanted  there  by  the  waves  over 
millions  of  the  dead.  Now  what  an  awful  deformity  of 
the  ocean  is  this  ! Endearment  it  is  in  one  respect,  for 
we  have  an  interest  in  the  ocean  as  well  as  in  the  village 
church-yard ; yet  deformity  in  another  respect,  that  the 
shining  robe  that  God  stretched  over  the  earth  should  be 
made  the  shroud  of  so  much  of  the  dear  and  the  dead. 
But  a day  comes,  we  read,  when  the  trumpet  shall  sound, 
and  a voice,  to  use  the  beautiful  language  of  the  Psalmist, 
mightier  than  the  noise  of  the  waves,  yea,  than  the  mighty 
waves  of  the  sea,  shall  sound ; and  the  oldest  dead  mariner 
in  the  depths  of  the  ocean  shall  come  forth  when  he  hears 
that  voice,  as  well  as  the  greatest  monarch  from  his  sarco- 
phagus, and  shall  join  that  august  and  sublime  procession 
emerging  from  the  depths  of  the  deep,  deep  sea,  and  rush- 
ing up  and  grouping  round  the  great  white  throne  to  hear 
unchangeable  and  eternal  retributions.  If  I may  quote 
the  words  of  a poet  again,  I do  so  simply  because  they 
express  what  I cannot  so  well  express.  They  are  the 
words  of  a female  poet,  and  she  says,  speaking  of  this 
trumpet  and  this  sound — 

“ What  wealth  untold 

Far  down  and  shining  through  thy  stillness  lies  ! 

Thou  hast  the  starry  gems,  the  burnished  gold. 

Won  from  ten  thousand  royal  argosies; 

Sweep  o’er  thy  spoils,  thou  wild  and  wrathful  Main, 

Earth  claims  not  these  again. 


86 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


“ Give  back  the  lost  and  lovely,  those  for  whom 
. The  place  was  kept  at  hearth  and  board  so  long; 

The  prayer  went  up  through  midnight’s  breathless  gloom, 

And  the  vain  yearning  woke  ‘ mid  festal  song ; 

Hold  fast  thy  buried  isles,  thy  toAvers  overthrown — 

But  all  is  not  thine  own. 

To  thee  the  love  of  woman  has  gone  down, 

Bark  flow  thy  tides  o’er  manhood’s  noble  head, 

O’er  youth’s  bright  locks  and  beauty’s  flowing  crown; 

Yet  must  thou  hear  a voice,  Restore  thy  dead  ! 

God  shall  reclaim  thy  precious  things  from  thee  . 

Restore  thy  dead,  thou  Sea  !” 

And  then  there  shall  be  no  more  sea  as  the  burial-place, 
the  grave-yard,  of  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

By  this  prediction,  There  shall  be  no  more  sea,”  I 
understand  that  there  shall  be  no  more  obstruction  to  the 
intercourse  of  nations ; for  we  read  that  during  the  future 
rest  there  will  be  nations,  and  tongues,  and  peoples,  and 
kindreds.  Now  we  know  well  at  this  moment  that  by  the 
sea  (one  might  quote  constant  classic  allusions  if  this  were 
the  place)  the  brotherhood  of  nations  is  disturbed ; and  we 
mistake  each  other’s  meaning,  because  it  is  so  long  before 
we  can  get  each  other’s  mutual  explanation.  This  will 
cease  when  the  electric  wire  unites  the  opposite  shores. 
England  and  America,  or  rather  I might  say  London  and 
New  York,  will  talk  together  just  as  Mary  and  Martha 
did  at  their  own  fireside ; and  I hope  the  funds  will  not 
be  the  only  subject  of  their  interesting  and  sisterly  con- 
versation. 

When  there  shall  be  no  more  sea,  France — a little  like 
the  sulky  elder  brother  in  the  parable,  who  did  not  like 
to  see  his  sisters  and  his  brothers  happy  together — will 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


87 


cast  away  the  cloud  from  her  bright  face,  dismantle  hei 
giant  fortresses,  fill  up  her  basin  into  which  the  ocean  has 
been  entrapped,  and  join  also  in  the  fire-side  conversation 
between  other  great  nations  ; and  one  happj^,  holy  sister- 
hood be  the  blessed  result,  not  indeed  of  the  electric  wire, 
for  that  cannot  be,  but  of  the  pouring  out  of  that  blessed 
Spirit  who  shall  weld  all  hearts  into  one,  and  make  all 
nations  one  family ; and  Asia,  the  cradle  of  our  race,  and 
Africa,  polluted  by  slaves ; all  the  nations,  all  the  conti- 
nents, will  no  longer 

“ Stand  aloof,  the  scars  remaining, 

Like  cliffs  that  have  been  rent  asunder;” 

but  sh;^ll  constitute  what  they  once  were — one  happy 
family,  without  the  contingencies  that  overtook  that  family 
after  Ham,  Shem,  and  Japheth,  the  world’s  three  fathers, 
met  in  the  ancient  ark. 

Then  there  will  be  no  more  naval  battles  to  deplore,  no 
more  naval  victories  to  commemorate  and  to  applaud.  A 
battle  field  is  a very  aAvful  and  a very  humbling  sight ; 
but  who  does  not  know  that  war  is  not  satisfied  with  smok- 
ing hamlets,  with  fields  waiting  for  the  sickle  turned  into 
barrenness  ? It  has  occurred  upon  the  ocean  also ; and 
with  the  noise  of  its  waves  and  the  roar  of  its  winds  is 
mingled  the  more  terrible  sound  or  boom  of  cannon,  and 
the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  the  dying : so  that  some- 
times when  one  reads  the  history  of  naval  battles  one  is 
tempted  to  think  that  man  seems  anxious  only  to  fulfil  the 
terrible  apocalyptic  saying,  where  the  angel  poured  out 
his  vial  upon  the  sea,  and  it  became  as  the  blood  of  a dead 
man.  If  ships  shall  last  to  that  period,  if  there  shall  be 
ships  when  this  prediction  shall  be  fulfilled,  they  will  be 


8S  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 

no  more  what  many  of  them  are  now ; they  will  be  the 
white  doves  of  happy  social  intercourse ; or  in  the  words 
of  James  Montgomery,  the  Moravian  poet,  who  predicts 
the  millennial  glory  in  these  lines — 

“ With  anthems  of  devotion 

Ships  from  the  isles  shall  meet, 

And  pour  the  wealth  of  ocean 
In  tribute  at  his  feet ; 

For  He  shall  have  dominion 
O’er  river,  sea^  and  shore, 

Far  as  the  eagle’s  pinion 

Or  dove’s  light  wing  can  soar.” 

I understand  by  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy,  that 
there  shall  be  the  removal  of  those  obstructions  that  have 
hindered  the  entrance  of  the  missionaries  into  the  dark 
and  benighted  parts  of  the  world.  How  long  has  the 
missionary  to  spend  upon  the  barren  ocean  before  he  reaches 
his  destination  ; and  how  frequently  does  he  find  a watery 
grave  before  he  finds  a mission-field  to  labor  in  ! Steam 
has  brought  it  to  pass  that  there  shall  be  no  more  land  to 
a very  great  extent ; but  this  greater  power  will  seize  the 
ocean,  and  bring  it  to  pass  that  there  shall  be  no  more  sea. 
And  may  not  all  this  be  the  preparation  for  that  angel 
who  spreads  his  wing,  and  hastens  wdth  the  everlasting 
Gospel  with  a speed  unprecedented,  and  Avith  a success 
hitherto  unknown,  to  preach  it  to  every  tribe  and  kindred 
and  tongue  ? And  when  there  shall  be  this  happy  inter- 
course ; Avhen  ‘‘  no  more  sea”  shall  be  a historic  fact,  and 
not  a mere  prophecy,  oh,  blessed  vision,  bright  and  holy 
apocalypse  that  opens  upon  one’s  eye ! — every  star  shall 
then  suggest  only  the  morning  star,  every  tree  the  tree  of 
life,  every  floAver  the  rose  of  Sharon,  every  wind  of  the 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


89 


air  and  every  wave  of  the  sea  shall  only  speak  music  ; 
pagan  tribes  that  never  heard  of  a Savior,  jungles  that 
the  sun  of  nature  and  the  Sun  of  righteousness  never  en- 
tered ; deserts  where  all  is  desolate ; oceans  on  which  the 
mariner  sings  no  hymn,  offers  no  prayer,  recognizes  no 
God,  and  reads  no  Bible;  homes  in  which  there  is  no 
worship,  and  hearts  in  which  there  is  no  love,  shall  all 
be  transformed  at  that  day,  as  sure  as  there  is  a God  in 
heaven;  and  one  song  overflow  all  nations,  ‘‘  Worthy  is 
the  Lamb,  for  he  was  slain  for  us/’  The  crescent  that  is 
still  the  symbol  of  so  much  that  is  evil  shall  wane  into  a 
thin  recollection  ; the  darkness  of  India  shall  pass  away ; 
Austria  shall  cease  to  be  a dungeon ; Italy  shall  no  more 
be  a grave  ; for  in  the  heart  of  Christianity  is  the  germ, 
and  on  the  brow  of  Christianity  is  the  prophecy,  of  a univer- 
sal, a never-ending,  an  ever-widening  empire.  The  harps 
of  Sion  then  and  the  hymns  of  her  joy  shall  rise  to  the 
listening  sky,  and  be  reflected  from  the  ocean  and  from 
the  earth.  All  lauds  shall  accept  the  name  and  glory  in 
the  cross  of  Christ,  and  the  baptism  of  the  crucified  shall 
be  on  every  brow,  and  the  palm  of  the  glorified  shall  be  in 
every  hand ; and  not  a spot,  nor  a river,  nor  a sea,  nor  a 
shore,  that  shall  not  reflect  the  very  glory  of  heaven. 

Such  are  what  I conceive  to  be  the  unfolding  and  am- 
plification of  the  magnificent  prediction,  There  shall 
be  no  more  sea.”  Now  I know  it  will  occur  to  some 
minds  that  we  have  no  idea  of  the  possibility  of  any- 
thing occurring  that  can  produce  this,  except  what  they 
believe  will  be — the  regenesis  and  the  restoration  of  the 
new  heavens  and  the  new  earth.  But  before  that  take 
place — before  millennial  suns  shall  shine  upon  our  world 


90 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


— there  will  be,  and  we  have  reason  from  prophecy  to 
believe  there  will  be,  vast  changes,  facilitating  the  inter- 
course of  nations  and  of  worlds.  God  may  have — nay, 
God  has — in  the  depths  of  his  own  inexhaustible  wisdom, 
means  and  elements  of  accomplishing  these  results  of 
which  we  have  no  idea  at  this  moment.  To  give  some 
explanation,  suppose  I should  have  told  you  twenty  years 
ago,  that  a day  would  come  when  a merchant  on  the  Ex- 
change in  London  should  talk  to  a merchant  on  the 
Broadway  at  New-York,  and  should  receive  answers  in 
the  course  of  half-an-hour ; and  that  positively  the  mes- 
sage sent  from  New-York  at  two  o’clock  in  the  day 
should  reach  London  an  hour  or  two  before ; if  I had 
said  such  a thing,  you  would  have  set  me  down  as  one 
of  the  wildest  dreamers  that  ever  lived,  if  not  altogether 
a helpless  and  hopeless  lunatic.  And  yet  that  has  be- 
come certain.  And  may  there  not  be  then  in  the  future, 
just  as  in  our  world,  possibilities  yet  more  magnificent 
than  even  the  electric  telegraph  that  connects  worlds; 
and  may  not  this  very  last  discovery  be  but  a feeble  spe- 
cimen of  crowds  that  will  come  within  the  horizon,  so 
brilliant  that  we  have  not  ventured  even  to  conceive,  still 
less  to  comprehend  them  ? 

What  lessons  do  we  learn  from  all  this  ? See  in  all 
the  discoveries  of  science,  in  all  the  events  of  Providence, 
not  chance,  not  man,  but  God.  Here  is  a very  wrong 
tendency  in  us  all : we  are  all  so  apt  to  confine  God  to 
the  sanctuary,  to  the  sacrament-table,  and  to  the  Bible  ; 
but  the  instant  we  go  out  of  the  church  or  out  of  the 
place  of  prayer,  then  no  more  we  see  God ; no  God  in 
the  counting-house,  no  God  in  the  warehouse,  no  God  in 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


91 


the  senate ; no  God,  in  short,  in  things  worldly.  Reli- 
gion for  Sunday  and  the  church ; secular  work  altogether 
^ for  the  six  week  days.  This  is  a gross  misinterpretation ; 
it  is  a disastrous  mistake.  I believe  that  God  is  in 
Cheapside  just  as  much  as  he  is  in  St.  Paul’s  Cathedral ; 
I believe  God  is  in  your  counting-houses  just  as  much  as 
he  is  in  the  sanctuary.  You  never  get  out  of  the  church ; 
because  the  church  is  not  a thing  of  bricks  and  mortar, 
and  stones  and  timbers ; it  is  the  company  of  God’s  peo- 
ple ; and  wherever  a churchman  is — that  is,  a Christian, 
for  all  Christians  are  churchmen — there  he  is  on  holy 
ground ; and  what  he  does,  if  sin,  is  sacrilege ; and  what 
he  does,  if  crime,  is  done  in  the  sanctuary  of  God.  God 
is  just  as  much  in  the  facts  of  history  as  he  is  in  the 
texts  of  the  Bible.  Merle  D’Aubigne  said  his  beau- 
tiful history  was  written  to  show  what  he  has  assumed  as 
his  text,  God  in  history.  Now  I believe  that  God  in- 
spired the  man  that  discovered  printing,  the  man  that 
discovered  steam,  the  man  that  discovered  the  electric 
telegraph,  just  as  truly  as,  though  differently,  he  inspired 
the  man  John  the  Evangelist,  or  Paul  or  Peter,  to  write 
the  texts  in  the  Bible.  That  is  my  first  lesson.  My 
second  lesson  is,  be  ready,  always  stand  ready — speaking 
as  I do  to  Christian  men — to  avail  yourselves  of  every 
vehicle  of  power,  and  to  sanctify  and  consecrate  it  to  be 
a vehicle  of  beneficence  and  of  grace.  Do  not  let  the 
Exchange  make  a monopoly  of  the  intercourse  between 
America  or  India  and  England ; see  if  the  Christian 
Church  cannot  make  use  of  the  mysterious  wire.  If  the 
merchants  of  this  country  keep  one  wire  for  themselves, 
why  should  not  all  the  Missionary  Societies  unite  togeth- 


92 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


er  and  have  a wire  for  themselves?  Thus  they  could 
correspond  wdth  their  mission  stations,  and  with  their 
missionaries ; thus  America  could  tell  us  what  its  won- 
drous Pentecostal  shower  is  doing  at  this  moment  there  ; 
and  we  could  tell,  at  least  that  if  we  have  not  it,  we  are 
praying  that  God  would  give  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  water  his 
church  till  its  desert  places  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as 
the  rose. 

And  lastly,  let  me  urge,  or  rather  hint,  another  lesson. 
Let  this  new  fact,  this  new  medium  uniting  distant  con- 
tinents, or  it  may  be  a new  world  and  an  old,  remind  us 
of  an  infinitely  more  glorious  medium  of  intercourse  be- 
tween that  continent  of  heaven  from  which  we  were  dis- 
located by  sin,  and  this  island  of  ours  restored,  and  out 
of  twain  made  one.  It  is  fact  that  God  sends  down 
blessings  through  this  medium  upon  us  ; it  is  fact  that 
God  hears  messages  that  we  send  up  by  this  medium  to 
him.  It  seems  as  if  the  whole  idea  of  this  were  em- 
bodied in  the  beautiful  and  striking  words  of  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  where  he  tells  us  in  the  65th  chapter,  at  the  24th 
verse,  in  words  that  have  often  suggested  to  me  that  very 
topic  to  which  I have  already  alluded — it  is  God  that  is 
speaking:  It  shall  come  to  pass  that  before  they  call  I 

will  answer ; and  while  they  are  yet  speaking  I will 
hear.’’  What  a beautiful  portrait  of  prayer  that  is! 
Now,  what  is  the  fact  ? That  we  have  communion  with 
heaven;  that  the  separated  realms  are  now  reunited. 
And,  grand  thought ! you  have  not  to  wait  at  the  throne 
of  grace  till  others  are  served ; there  is  no  possible  inter- 
ruption in  this  divine  medium  ; there  is  no  misapprehen- 
sion of  our  meaning  or  misinterpretation  of  our  words. 


NO  MORE  SEA. 


03 


How  ehall  you  escape,  what  shall  be  your  guilt,  how 
grave  your  responsibility,  if,  with  such  a medium  of  in- 
tercourse with  heaven,  you  fail  to  avail  yourselves  of  it 
now,  and  with  all  your  might  ? Then,  my  dear  breth- 
ren, ask  and  ye  shall  obtain,  seek  and  ye  shall  find ; 

For  all  these  things  will  I be  inquired  of,  saith  the 
Lord,  in  order  to  do  it  for  them;”  and  it  shall  come  to 
pass  that  before  you  call,  God  will  answer;  and  while 
you  are  yet  speaking,  God  will  hear ; and  the  proof  of 
this  is,  Thus  saith  the  Lord.” 


LECTURE  XXVI. 


THE  PURIFYING  PROCESS. 

Many  shall  he  purified^  and  made  white^  and  tried  ; 
bnt  the  vncked  shall  do  wickedly : and  none  of  the 
wicked  shall  understand ; but  the  wise  shall  under- 
stand.^'’— Daniel  xii.  10. 

Having  endeavored  to  shew  the  fulfilment  of  various 
predictions,  let  me  here  notice  one  moral  and  instructive 
lesson  for  all.  First,  we  are  told  that  ^^many  shall  be 
purified,  and  made  white,  and  tried.’’  These  are  the  re- 
deemed out  of  every  kindred,  and  people,  and  tongue. 
How  delightful  to  believe  many  shall  be  so  ! The  saved 
are  not  a tiny  and  a microscopic  few,  but  a magnificent 
multitude  that  no  man  can  number,  with  palms  in  their 
hands,  and  clothed  in  white  robes,  praising  God  and  the 
Lamb  for  ever  and  ever.  Every  allusion  in  the  Bible 
leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  the  overwhelming  major- 
ity of  our  race  shall  be  saved.  Infants  dying  shall  all  be 
saved.  Then  an  age  comes  to  whose  perfection  all  past 
ages  have  been  contributing,  and  in  whose  glory  all  past 
ages  will  be  crowned,  when  all  shall  be  righteous,  and 
they  shall  no  more  teach  every  man  his  neighbor,  saying, 
‘^Know  the  Lord,”  but  ‘‘all  shall  know  him  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest.”  It  is  a most  refreshing  thought 
(94) 


THE  PURIFYING  PROCESS. 


95 


that  Satan  will  not  be  able  at  the  judgment  day  to  show 
one  solitary  proof  of  the  success  of  his  dreadful  experi- 
ment in  Paradise;  notone  soul  will  be  lost  because  Adam 
fell ; if  lost  it  will  be  because  he  rejects  the  second  Adam, 
who  is  the  Lord  from  heaven.  All  Scripture  leads  us  to 
feel  that  they  that  are  lost  within  reach  of  the  Gospel  are 
not  slain,  but  are  suicides  ; they  perish  because,  dreadful 
criminality ! they  will  not  be  saved.  The  language  of 
the  Saviour  is,  Ye  ivill  come  unto  me;^’  the  re- 
monstrance of  God  is,  Why  loill  ye  die?’’  the  magnifi- 
cent embassy  for  all  nations  is,  Him  that  cometh  unto 
me,’'  whatever  nation,  kindred,  tribe,  or  tongue,  or  what- 
ever degree  of  guilt,  or  sin,  or  ruin  ; Him  that  cometh 
unto  me  I will  in  no  wise  cast  out.”  Then  if  every  in- 
dividual that  hears  the  gospel  is  not  among  the  many 
that  shall  be  saved  and  that  are  saved,  it  is  not  because 
God  is  unwilling,  nor  because  he  is  unwelcome,  it  is  not 
because  there  is  not  efficacy  in  the  Saviour’s  work,  nor 
because  the  Holy  Spirit  will  not  sanctify  him,  but  be- 
cause he  puts  it  off,  or  puts  something  between  it  and 
him,  or  makes  an  excuse  which  has  no  foundation  in 
truth,  but  satisfies  his  willingly  satisfied  heart  in  the 
mean  time.  Does  not  the  Bible  tell  us  that  we  have  no 
power,  and  that  unless  God  give  us  power  we  never  can 
believe  ? I perfectly  agree  with  that ; but  if  that  want  of 
power  upon  your  part  be  a want  of  physical  power,  then 
you  have  a valid  excuse.  God  will  not  condemn  a man 
at  the  judgment-seat  who  has  a valid  excuse  for  not  be- 
lieving the  Gospel ; that  is  equity,  that  is  common  jus- 
tice. If  you  be  physically  unable  to  believe,  you  have  a 
valid  excuse.  You  would  not  think  of  blaming  a stone, 


96  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 

or  a dog,  or  a horse,  because  they  do  not  understand  or 
do  not  believe ; they  are  physically  incapable  of  it.  But 
you  forget  that  your  inability  to  believe  the  Gospel  is 
not  physical,  but  purely  moral : it  is  not  want  of  physi- 
cal power,  it  is  ivant  of  moral  will.  There  are  two  can- 
nots  that  people  very  much  confound  with  each  other. 
For  instance,  a thief  in  prison  cannot  steal;  an  honest 
man  cannot  steal.  Both  these  are  perfectly  true,  but  the 
distinction  is  tremendous ; the  thief  cannot  steal  because 
he  cannot  get  out  of  the  prison;  the  honest  man  cannot 
steal  because  it  is  not  his  nature,  or  disposition,  or  will 
to  do  so.  So  you  cannot  believe  is  not  the  cannot  of 
physical  impossibility ; if  so  it  would  be  a valid  excuse ; 
but  it  is  the  cannot  of  moral  wilfulness.  The  lost  in 
misery  will  never  blame  any  one  in  the  heights  or  in  the 
depths  but  themselves  for  their  everlasting  ruin;  they 
will  feel,  in  all  the  tremendous  force  of  that  conviction, 
we  might  have  been  in  heaven,  and  we  would  not  go ; and 
we  are  now  in  ruin  because  we  set  our  faces  thither. 
There  are  words  I have  already  illustrated  that  seem  to 
me  most  striking  and  suggestive  ; ^ ^ Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world.”  Come  ;”  the  olden  invi- 
tation ; ye  blessed  of  my  father ;”  God  the  Father  the 
fountain  of  all  blessing  ; inherit ;”  one  inherits  the  title 
of  his  father  not  by  his  personal  worth,  but  because  he 
is  the  son;  ‘^inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you;” 
heaven  the  prepared  place  for  a prepared  people.  But 
notice  the  obverse,  where  he  addresses  the  lost.  ‘‘De- 
part from  me;”  that  is,  continue  the  course  you  began. 
“ Come  unto  me,”  is,  continue  the  course  you  began. 


THE  PURIFYING  PROCESS. 


97 


Depart  from  me,’’  prosecute  the  course  you  liave  chos- 
en : as  if  heaven  were  a centripetal  force,  by  whicli  the 
Christian  is  carried  nearer  and  nearer  for  ever  to  Christ, 
and  made  happier  the  nearer  that  he  comes ; as  if  hell 
were  a centrifugal  force,  the  unbeliever  departing  farther 
and  farther,  and  his  misery  increasing  in  the  ratio  of  the 
speed  and  distance  of  his  departure.  ‘‘Depart,  ye  curs- 
ed,” not  of  my  Father,  but  “ depart,  ye  cursed,  into  ever- 
lasting fire,  prepared,”  not  for  you,  but  “for  the  devil 
and  his  angels.”  In  other  words,  hell  is  not  meant  for 
any  human  being ; it  was  never  meant  or  prepared  for 
you ; and  if  any  man  goes  there,  he  will  have  the  awful 
reflection  for  ever,  I did  it  all  myself ; and  nobody  is  to 
blame  but  myself : whereas  the  saved  in  heaven  will  have 
the  thrilling  reminiscence.  We  did  none  of  it,  Ave  deserv- 
ed none  of  it ; grace,  sovereign  grace  did  it  all.  Such 
then  is  the  distinction. 

Now  it  is  said,  “ many  shall  be  made  white.”  This 
passage  in  Daniel  seems  to  be  the  original  of  what  we  find 
in  Revelation  vii.,  Avhere  one  of  the  elders  asked,  “ What 
are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ? And  whence 
came  they  ?”  And  his  answer  is,  “ These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation”  “ they  shall  be  tried  and 
purified,”  “ and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.”  I understand,  there- 
fore, by  “ Many  shall  be  made  wdiite,”  many  shall  be  jus- 
tified. “ As  by  one  man’s  disobedience  many  were  made 
sinners,  so  by  one  man’s  obedience  shall  many  be  made 
righteous,”  or  made  white.  I understand,  therefore,  by 
this  expression,  “ Many  shall  be  made  white,”  many  shall 
be  justified,  that  is,  acquitted,  absolved  from  all  sin  ; first 
5 


98 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


a change  of  state,  by  transferrence  from  Adam,  in  Avhom 
we  stand  by  nature,  into  union  with  Christ,  in  whom  we 
stand  by  grace.  Each  of  us  at  this  moment  by  nature  is 
born  in  the  eclipse we  do  not  need  to  perpetrate  some 
great  crime  to  be  guilty  in  God’s  sight ; we  are  born  sin- 
ners, we  inherit  a fallen  nature,  it  is  our  connection  with 
Adam  that  gives  us  that  nature,  and  we  aggravate  our 
guilt  by  our  own  personal  transgressions.  But  we  are  wel- 
come and  invited  at  this  moment  to  step  by  faith  from  Adam, 
in  whom  nature  leaves  us,  into  Christ  and  his  righteous- 
ness, in  which  grace  and  glory  will  always  keep  us.  You 
are  invited  every  one  to  leave  the  wrecks  of  ancient  Par- 
adise, where  the  flaming  cherubim  and  the  guarded  gates, 
are,  and  to  put  on,  without  money  and  without  price,  that 
raiment  which  you  have  not  to  w'eave,  which  you  have  not 
to  make,  which  you  have  not  to  pay  for,  but  which  you 
have  to  accept  as  a free  gift,  and  justified  through  faith 
before  God,  to  have  peace  with  him  in  Christ  Jesus.  Such 
is  the  change  of  state.  But  there  is  more  than  that. 
There  is  not  only  a change  of  state  ; but  it  is  said  that 
those  who  are.  thus  justified,  these  who  are  thus  made 
white,  shall  be  tried.”  Tried;  this  is  the  lot  of  all 
God’s  people ; and  you  will  find  it  one  of  the  marks  of 
the  people  of  God  that  they  come  through  much  tribula- 
tion. In  the  beautiful  language  of  the  Apocalypse, 
They  came  out  of  great  tribulation.”  We  sometimes 
try  to  flatter  ourselves  that  we  shall  get  through  the  world 
easier  and  more  softly  than  our  fixthers  passed  through  it ; 
all  that  is  deceptive  ; you  may  depend  upon  it,  as  sure  as 
you  are  living,  if  you  be  Christians,  you  will  have  some- 
thing to  try  you,  some  care  to  vex  you,  some  troubl  ^ to 


THE  PURIFYING  PROCESS. 


C9 


dog  jour  steps,  some  reminiscence  that  you  cannot  get 
rid  of,  some  vexation  that  you  cannot  throw  off,  some 
uneasiness  on  the  pillow,  some  uncertainty  in  the  hopes, 
some  precariousness  in  the  possession ; some  sore  disap- 
pointment, some  unexpected  tribulation.  As  sure  as  you 
are  a Christian,  so  sure  God  will  try  you,  the  world  will 
try  you,  your  own  hearts  will  try  you,  and  you  will  find 
that  tribulation  is  our  lot,  but  triumph  over  it  is  our  des- 
tiny by  God’s  almighty  and  assisting  grace.  Now,  to 
show  how  Christians  will  be  tried  in  the  great  tribulation, 
let  me  adduce  two  or  three  illustrations.  First  of  all, 
some  of  you  will  be  tried  by  adversity.  We  do  not  like 
the  cold  sliadow  ; we  would  all  bask  in  the  sweet  and  beau- 
tiful sunshine.  We  do  not  like  the  valley  of  Achor  ; we 
would  all  like  to  be  upon  the  mountain  heights  of  Pisgah, 
or  upon  the  beautiful  table  land,  above  the  storm  and  the 
cloud,  and  all  the  ills  that  irritate  and  vex  in  this  world 
below.  But  it  cannot  be.  Some  will  be  tried  by  adver- 
sity. It  is  a heavy  trial  to  the  poor  man  to  learn  this 
lesson  : Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow  : for  the  mor- 
row will  take  thought  for  itself”  It  is  easy  for  a rich 
man  to  take  this  text,  and  literally  observe  it ; but  it  is  a 
very  hard  matter,  and  goes  against  the  grain,  for  a poor 
man,  who  does  not  know  where  he  will  find  to-morrow’s 
breakfast,  to  take  this  text  and  to  believe  and  act  on  it. 
It  is  also  a very  easy  lesson  to  learn  to  say  of  other  peo- 
ple’s dead,  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken 
away;”  but  for  a mother  to  look  upon  the  cold  pale  face 
of  the  infant  that  she  bore,  and  to  see  it  consiorned  to  the 
dark  and  silent  grave,  and  to  say  then  and  there,  Our 
Father,  thy  will  be  done  that  is  a very  heavy  trial,  that 


100 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


will  test  and  try  her  faith  to  the  uttermost.  It  is  very 
difficult  too  to  feel,  and  it  tries  our  faith  strongly,  that 
God  loves  us  when  he  smites  us ; that  the  blow  of  the 
hand  may  be  very  heavy  ; but  that  as  a father  pitieth 
his  children,  so  doth  the  Lord  pity  them  that  fear  him.’’ 
P'ut  if  you  are  not  tried  by  adversity  you  will  be  tried 
by  prosperity ; and  I am  not  sure  which  is  the  hardest. 
If  I had  it  in  my  power  to  give  the  option  to  many  whether 
they  will  take  the  trial  of  their  Christian  character  by 
being  kept  a very  poor,  dependent  man  ; or  being  made 
very  rich,  or  very  great ; most  would  of  course  choose  the 
latter ; I fear  flesh  and  blood  would  choose  without  a mo- 
ment’s hesitation  the  latter.  And  yet  if  it  be  very  dif- 
ficult to  hold  an  empty  cup,  out  of  which  you  can  drink 
no  sweetness,  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  hold  a full  cup 
without  letting  it  run  over ; and  manv  a man  who  has 
been  raised  from  the  low  and  obscure  levels  of  ordinary 
life,  to  the  high  and  bright  spots  of  the  world,  has  found 
that  he  has  multiplied  his  enemies  in  the  ratio  in  which  he 
rose  ; and  that  his  happiness  has  not  increased  with  the 
degree  and  height  of  his  social  elevation.  Prosperity  will 
try  us.  How  prone  are  the  prosperous  to  become  proud  ! 
When  and  what  were  the  moments  when  you  first  sought 
out  God ; when  you  had  the  deepest  and  the  most  pene- 
trating sense  of  the  vanity  of  all  below,  and  the  mag- 
nificence of  all  that  is  above  ? When  some  great  billow 
of  tribulation  has  swept  over  you,  and  laid  you  low  upon 
the  ground.  When  did  you  forget  God  ; when  did  you 
care  nothing  about  God  ? when  did  you  feel  as  if  there 
were  no  God?  Just  when  the  world’s  ball  was  at  your 
foot,  and  all  was  prosperity  above,  and  all  was  smoothness 


THE  PURIFYING  PROCESS. 


101 


beneath,  and  all  was  happiness  and  sunshine  around. 

* These  chiefly  were  your  atheistic  and  ungodly  moments, 
and  experience  also.  Prosperity  will  try  you  ; often  pros- 
perity is  sent,  not  as  a proof  that  God  loves,  but  as  a test 
by  which  God  would  try  us.  And  it  is  a very  happy 
thing  too  that  we  have  not  the  choice  whether  we  shalTbe 
tested  by  the  shadow  of  adversity  or  the  sunshine  of  pros- 
perity. If  we  be  God’s  people,  made  righteous,  clad  in 
the  white  robes,  accepted  in  his  sight,  He  will  send  us 
just  the  test  that  is  most  expedient  for  us.  That  test 
may  be  very  painful,  but  will  not  be  so  painful  as  the 
devil  would  have  it,  nor  so  protracted,  nor  so  heavy ; and 
it  will  not  be  so  short,  and  so  soft,  and  so  light  as  you 
would  have  it ; but  it  will  be  exactly  what  God  sees  fit 
for  you ; and  the  trouble,  whatever  it  be,  will  not  last 
one  moment  longer  than  it  has  done  its  work.  An  illus- 
tration is  the  story  of  the  goldsmith  melting  the  gold  in 
the  fining-pot ; he  was  asked  why  he  always  kept  gazing 
upon  the  molten  gold  ; his  answer  was  that  he  skimmed 
off  the  dross  always  as  it  rose  to  the  surfiice ; and  when- 
ever he  could  see  his  face  reflected  on  the  bright  metal,  he 
then  ceased  to  keep  it  on  the  fire,  and  withdrew  it  for  its 
great  purposes  of  currency  and  use.  God  keeps  us  till 
he  sees  his  own  face  reflected  from  our  nature  ; and  as 
soon  as  we  are  like  him,  then  he  withdraws  the  ordeal 
tests,  and  tries  us  no  more,  and  makes  us  ready  as  we  are 
found  right  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Thus  you  will 
be  tried  by  adversity,  you  will  be  tried  by  prosperity  ; but 
there  is  one  blessed  thought,  that  if  you  be  a Christian, 
you  will  not  be  overwhelmed  by  it.  Recollect  the  words, 
‘‘These  are  they  that  came  out  of  great  tribulation;’^ 


102 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


they  were  in  it,  but  not  one  was  left  to  be  overwhelmed  by 
it ; and  however  much,  therefore,  you  may  be  tested  and^ 
tried,  you  will  not  be  left  to  perish  in  the  trouble ; but  the 
trial  will  be  removed  by  Him  who  watches  over  you  with 
parental  sympathy,  with  an  omniscient  eye,  with  an  om- 
nipresent power,  when  you  reflect  the  likeness  of  Him  who 
hath  called  us  to  glory  and  virtue.  It  is  a precious 
thought  that  the  trial,  whatever  it  be,  is  never  sent  unless 
it  be  needed.  How  beautiful  are  the  words  of  Peter,  who 
was  very  much  tried! — “Wherein  we  greatly  rejoice; 
though  now  for  a season,  if  need  be,  ye  are  in  heaviness 
through  manifold  temptations and  then  what  is  to  be 
the  result  of  them?  “ That  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being 
more  precious  than  of  gold  that  perishes,  though  it  be 
tried  with  fire,  may  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor,  and 
glory  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ;  whom  having 
not  seen  we  love  ; in  whom  though  now  we  see  him  not, 
yet  believing,  we  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory.” 

Thus  we  have  seen  first  the  change  of  state, — made 
white;  or  transferred  from  connection  with  Adam,  in 
whom  we  died,  and  placed  in  Christ,  in  whom  we  live 
for  ever;  secondly,  the  ordeal  through  which  believers 
must  pass,  in  order  to  be  made  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  The  result  of  it  all  is,  we  are  told,  they  shall 
be  purified  ; they  shall  be  tried,  and  they  shall  be  puri- 
fied. There  is  a great  deal  of  dross  in  every  one  of  us  ; 
and  he  that  knows  his  own  heart  best,  knows  how  much 
evil  there  is  in  it.  Some  one  said  we  should  never  pray, 
^^0  Lord  show  us  ourselves  to  ourselves;”  and  it  is 
most  just;  foi>the  most  aAvful  sight  that  would  over- 


THE  PUllirYING  PROCESS. 


103 


whelm  and  crush  us  would  be  an  apocalypse  of  our  own 
heart,  exactly  as  it  appears  in  the  sight  of  a holy  and  a 
heart-searching  God.  The  more  we  know  ourselves,  the 
less  confidence  we  shall  have  in  our  own  excellence,  and 
the  more  we  shall  be  led  to  appeal  to  Him  who  is  ready 
every  moment  to  pardon,  and  through  whose  intercession 
we  have  an  advocate  at  the  Father’s  right  hand,  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  to  God  through  Him. 
Then  we  shall  be  purified  from  unbelief,  purified  from  the 
alloy  of  sin,  purified  from  all  the  remains  of  corruption ; 
purified  more  and  more,  till  the  king’s  daughter  becomes 
all  glorious  within  ; and  the  church  shines  bright  like  the 
sun,  and  fair  as  the  moon,  and  glorious  as  an  armj^  with 
banners.  We  shall  be  made  what  we  seem ; the  heart 
shall  be  pure,  the  fountain  holy,  the  tree  good,  and  all 
the  fruits  shall  be  good,  and  all  the  streams  shall  be  pure, 
and  all  our  w^orks  and  ways  shall  be  the  fragrant  fruit 
of  a new  character  and  a new  heart,  and  made  neiv  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God. 

Such  is  the  prediction  of  the  destiny  of  the  saints. 
The  reverse  of  this  is  the  doom  of  the  lost.  The 

wicked  shall  do  wickedly.”  It  is  their  nature.  He 

that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust  still.”  There  are  two 
great  forces  in  our  world  that  seem  destined  to  last  for 
ever ; the  force  of  holiness  and  the  force  of  sin ; hell  the 
culminating  depth  of  the  one,  heaven  the  culminating 
glory  and  perfection  of  the  other.  And  the  wicked,  we 
are  told,  shall  not  understand.”  There  is  needed  to 
understand  the  Bible,  and  to  understsnd  many  great 
moral  and  scriptural  truths,  not  so  much  a sharp  intel- 
lect as  a sanctified  heart.  It  is  most  strange  how  passion 


104 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATJOxW 


can  blind  the  intellect,  and  prejudice  darken  it ; till  a 
man  sunk  in  depravity  can  neither  see  nor  appreciate 
moral  excellence  at  all.  We  well  know  how  diffcult  it  is 
to  convince  a mere  natural  man  of  many  of  those  simple 
truths  which  to  a Christian  appear  so  plain.  And  the 
reason  is,  that  just  as  a shilling  over  the  eyeball  will 
shut  out  the  grandest  panorama  from  the  sight,  so  a sin- 
gle passion,  avarice,  hate,  revenge,  any  other  evil,  or 
stormy,  or  tempestuous  passion,  will  so  darken  man’s  in- 
tellect that  he  will  not  see  the  simplest  truths  nor  recog- 
nise the  plainest  duties.  Orthodoxy  in  its  brighest  sense 
is  as  much  the  product  of  a pure  heart  as  of  an  enlight- 
ened mind.  By  force  of  intellect  we  may  master  mathe- 
matics ; but  only  by  sanctity  and  regeneration  of  heart 
can  we  master,  and  appreciate,  and  live  by  the  living 
truths  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

In  which  category  are  we — in  the  category  of  them 
that  are  made  righteous  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ ; 
w^ho,  while  passing  through  many  a stormy  and  tempestu- 
ous sea,  are  being  made  fit  for  heaven,  and  will  ultimately 
reach  that  happy  haven  into  which  the  surf  of  this 
world’s  troubles  will  not  break,  and  whose  waters  shall 
never  be  disturbed  by  a tempest ; or  are  we  in  the  list 
and  category  of  the  wicked,  who  will  not  understand, 
and  therefore  do  not  understand ; who  do  wickedly,  and 
glory  in  their  wickedness,  who  have  no  fear  of  God  before 
their  eyes  ? Magnificent  privilege  ! we  have  the  choice. 
Choose  ye  this  day  on  which  side  you  will  stand.  Oh, 
may  many  a humble  heart  say,  Blessed  Jesus,  where 
thou  goest  I will  go  ; where  tliou  lodgest  I will  lodge ; 
thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  shall  be  my 
God  ! Amen. 


LECTURE  XXVII. 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 

But  go  thou  thy  way  till  the  end  he  ; for  thou  shalt 
resty  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  daysP — 
Daniel  xii.  13. 

I HAVE  tried  in  a previous  lecture  to  show  what  is  the 
precise  chronological  significance  of  those  remarkable 
words,  From  the  time  that  the  daily  sacrifice  shall  be 
taken  away,”  that  daily  sacrifice  the  burden  of  the 
prophet’s  prophecy,  that  incense  and  a pure  offering 
shall  be  presented  among  the  Gentiles,”  from  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  Jewish  polity  to  the  consummation  of  the 
present  age  ; and  an  abomination  that  maketh  desolate,” 
(for  it  is  not  the  in  the  original,  to  distinguish  it  from 
that  of  the  Roman  eagles  upon  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
when  Titus  and  Vespasian  utterly  subverted  and  destroy- 
ed it) ; from  that  time  there  shall  be  a thousand  two 
hundred  and  ninety  days ; 1260  prophetic  days  ending, 
I said,  in  1793  ; when  the  papacy  began  to  be  subverted, 
undermined,  and  destroyed ; 30  additional  such  days, 
ending  synchronically  with  the  2300  years  of  Daniel,  in 
1823  or  1821,  when  the  great  eastern  delusion  began  to 
Avane,  as  it  wanes  at  this  moment,  and  is  almost  extinct 
in  the  east  of  Europe  ; that  there  should  be  an  additional 
5^  (105) 


106 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


45  yearSj  making  in  all  1335;  and  then,  Blessed  is 
he  that  waiteth,  and  cometh  to  the  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  five  and  thirty  days,’’  which  end  the  age,  on 
the  supposition  that  the  dates  of  commencement  are  right. 
There,  mind  you,  the  whole  difficulty  lies ; and  if  I 
were  to  assert  that  532  or  533  is  absolutely  certain  as 
the  commencing  date,  then  we  could  absolutely  predict 
the  close  of  this  present  Christian  economy ; but  that  we 
cannot  do.  But  I showed,  by  collecting  the  opinions — 
not  opinions,  but  inferences  and  conclusions  come  to  by 
the  best  and  the  wisest  commentators,  not  only  of  this 
century,  but  also  of  the  last — that  1867,  which  is  a great 
closing  epoch,  whatever  be  the  events  that  are  to  trans- 
pire, is  an  era  fraught  with  gigantic  issues  the  one  way 
or  the  other.  If  the  theory  of  certain  divines  of  the 
present  day,  who  are  very  able  and  very  pious,  be.  correct, 
then  1867  terminates  finally  and  fully  the  Mahometan 
and  Papal  apostacies,  the  reign  of  wickedness  upon  earth, 
and  the  commencement  of  at  least  a new,  a brighter,  and 
a better  era.  If  the  conclusion  of  Elliot,  and  Newton, 
Meade,  and  Bickersteth,  and  others  who  have  written 
upon  the  subject,  be  correct,  then  1867  would  close,  in 
the  words  of  Lord  Carlisle,  this  present  economy,  and 
be  the  end  of  this  present  Christian  dispensation.  The 
difficulty  felt  by  many  is  how  I begin  this  era  at  532 ; 
Avhat  is  the  nature  of  that  system  which  the  1260  years 
mete  out  ? and  is  the  church  of  Rome  (which  looks  very 
uncharitable,  but  we  can  never  be  uncharitable  when  we 
speak  what  is  true,  I mean  true  in  the  word  of  God)  that 
dreadful  apostacy  thus  meted  out  by  the  days  here  speci- 
fied ? 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


107 


But  at  all  events  whatever  be  the  eras  or  the  dates, 
wdiatever  be  the  commencing  or  the  terminating  epochs, 
here  is  the  grand  practical  lesson  deducible  from  all,  ad- 
dressed to  every  Daniel  in  Christendom,  every  preacher 
and  every  student  of  prophecy,  every  Christian  in  this 
age,  Go  thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be  ; for  thou  shalt  rest, 
and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days.”  There  seems 
to  me  three  great  lessons  to  be  gathered  from  this  pre- 
scription ; first  of  all,  that  present  duty  is  not  the  least 
diluted  by  contingent  results  ; Go  thy  way  till  the  end 
be.”  The  meaning  of  Go  thy  way”  is,  Mind  your  bu- 
siness, mind  your  work,  attend  to  your  duty.  Secondly, 
there  is  the  prophecy,  which  w^e  are  sure  will  be  fulfilled  ; 

Thou  shalt  rest ; there  remaineth  a rest  for  the  people 
of  God;”  and  lastly  there  is  the  assurance,  personal,  spe- 
cific, and  cheering  : Thou  shalt  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the 
end  of  the  days.” 

First  of  all,  there  is  the  call  to  attend  to  present  duty, 
altogether  irrespective  of  future  contingency.  No  reve- 
lation of  the  future  that  God  has  given  or  that  man  can 
make  plain  is  for  one  moment  to  interfere  with  our  obvi- 
ous unmistakable  duties.  In  all  persons  w^ho  make  real 
or  pretended  knowledge  of  the  future  a reason  for  neg- 
lecting the  duties  or  violating  the  claims  of  the  present, 
there  is  fanaticism,  the  fanaticism  of  monks  and  recluses ; 
not  what  the  Bible  is,  inspired  common  sense  for  Chris- 
tian men.  Let  us  remember  that  the  prophecies  do  not 
repeal  the  precepts ; and  if  any  man  were  to  make  his  be- 
lief of  a prophecy  of  the  future  a reason  for  breaking  or 
ignoring  a precept  obligatory  in  the  present,  that  man 
would  not  rightly  divide  the  word  of  truth.  He  would 


108 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATIOX. 


most  grievously  misinterpret  and  misapply  it.  Whatever 
be  in  the  future,  and  whatever  we  expect  in  the  future, 
this  is  our  duty  in  the  present ; Be  steadfast,  immovea- 
ble ; fight  the  good  fight ; hold  fast  thy  crown,  that  no  man 
take  it  from  thee ; occupy  till  I come ; work  while  it  is 
day,  for  the  night  cometh  w^hen  no  man  can  work.’’  And 
therefore  it  appears  to  me  that. any  man  who  makes  the 
bright  prospects  of  the  future  a reason  for  neglecting  the 
very  last  duty  of  the  present,  altogether  misinterprets  and 
niisdivides  the  word  of  God.  Moral  duties  are  not  affect- 
ed by  anything  upon-  earth.  In  the  flame  that  wraps  the 
globe,  in  the  intense  fire  that  calcines  it  to  dust,  this  re- 
mains unscathed,  undiluted,  unaffected,  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself.”  A material  universe  may  go  to  ruin  ; but  moral 
obligations  outlast  the  stars  and  all  created  things.  We 
have  instances  constantly  of  God  over-riding  and  revers- 
ing physical  laws  ; but  there  is  not  an  instance  in  the  Bible 
of  God  over-riding,  reversing,  or  dispensing  with  a moral 
law.  We  have  found  that  some  physical  laws  have  been 
altered  ; the  fire  has  failed  to  burn  in  the  case  of  the  three 
Hebrew  youths  ; poison  has  ceased  to  destroy ; the  floods 
have  failed  to  drown  : these  are  instances  of  physical  laws 
reversed.  But  God  has  never  reversed  the  law,  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself”  Let  me  adduce  an  illustration  : — 
were  a mother  to  be  so  captivated  and  charmed  with  the 
study  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  it  is  right  to  be  charmed 
and  captivated  with  the  bright  prospect  before  us,  that  she 
neglects  her  infant,  or  her  children,  or  her  husband,  she 
is  acting  a most  unchristian  part ; and  she  is  making  the 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


109 


prospects  of  the  future  glory,  and  her  admiration  of  them, 
a reason,  a most  erroneous  reason,  for  neglecting  present 
and  instant  duties.  Because  you  are  not  a Martha,  ab- 
sorbed in  the  duties  of  your  household,  and  careful  about 
many  things,  you  need  not  be  a Mary,  careful  about 
nothing,  and  absorbed  in  gratifying  her  intellectual  and 
imaginative  contemplations.  In  the  words  of  a poet, 

“ Thine  to  work  as  well  as  pray. 

Clearing  thorny  wrongs  away; 

Plucking  up  the  weeds  of  sin, 

Letting  heaven’s  sweet  sunshine  in.” 

Here  is  the  combination  of  the  duties  of  the  present 
with  the  enjoyment  of  the  prospects  that  lie  before  us. 
Because  our  hearts  are  in  the  bright  glory  of  the  future, 
our  feet  need  not  be  idle ; because  our  affections  rise  above 
the  world,  we  are  not  called  upon  to  go  out  of  the  world. 
It  is  as  much  a duty  to  do  the  commands  of  your  employer 
or  your  sovereign,  for  a soldier  to  obey  his  superior,  a 
sailor  his  officer,  and  a servant  his  master,  as  it  is  to  love 
God,  to  fear  God,  to  study  his  word,  and  to  look  forward 
to  the  fulfilment  of  all  the  prophecies ; and  if  any  man 
makes  any  anticipations,  or  any  settlement  of  dates,  or  any 
opinion  about  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  a pretext  for 
neglecting  any  one  duty  that  devolves  upon  him,  he  per- 
verts and  dishonors  the  word  of  God,  and  acts  himself 
most  inconsistently.  You  must  not  suppose  that  you  are 
not  Christians  because  you  are  not  preaching  ; or  that  you 
are  not  acting  under  the  influence  of  Christianity  because 
you  are  not  studying  the  prophecies.  On  many  an  occa- 
sion more  heavenly  thoughts  have  risen  with  the  sparks 
■from  the  blacksmith’s  anvil,  than  from  the  swinging  censer 


110 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


and  the  ascending  incense  at  a cathedral  altar.  It  is  not 
the  place,  it  is  not  the  work,  but  the  spirit  in  which  we  oc- 
cupy the  one  and  fulfil  the  obligations  of  the  other  that 
makes  it  Christian.  In  fact,  our  idea  of  division  into  sa- 
cred and  secular  is  a very  questionable  one.  I agree  with 
the  late  admirable  and  enlightened  Dr.  Arnold  that  all 
things  are  sacred,  because  all  things  are  from  God ; all 
things  are  to  be  rescued  and  reclaimed  for  God,  and  all 
things  ought  to  be  done  to  honor  and  to  serve  God.  And 
therefore  wx  say  to  every  one  who  is  absorbed  with  these 
studies,  or  who  gives  his  attention  to  them,  Go  thy 
way,”  mind  your  business ; attend  to  your  present  duties  ; 
and  if  the  world  end,  or  if  your  life  end,  or  if  God  step 
in  and  call  you,  if  you  be  at  your  duty,  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in  the  counting-house, 
in  the  shop,  in  the  streets,  in  the  country,  w^alking  in  the 
fields,  or  sailing  on  the  sea ; wherever  you  are  for  duty 
and  in  the  way  of  duty,  if  God  finds  you  there,  he  finds 
you  just  where  a good  man  wishes  to  be  found — at  your 
post  and  in  your  place.  Therefore  you  are  never  to  forget 
that  all  things  are  sacred  to  a Christian,  and  all  situations 
holy.  Go  then  thy  way.  The  mount  of  transfiguration 
is  the  splendid  vision  of  an  hour ; the  valley,  or  the  low 
level  of  common  duties,  is  the  obligation  of  a life-time. 
The  glimpse  of  the  glory  as  it  sweeps  past  is  given  to 
cheer,  not  that  you  may  dispense  with  duties,  but  that  you 
may  be  strengthened  to  go  into  duties.  God  sees  that  we 
need  refreshment  and  strength,  we  need  health  and  com- 
fort, and  he  is  always  ready  to  give  and  allow  it ; but  he 
requires  this,  that  we  shall  still  feel  duties  and  obligations 
are  ours.  And,  after  all,  better  wear  out  than  rust  out ; 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


Ill 


better  be  worn  out  by  our  work  than  rust  by  indolence 
and  apathy.  If  every  man  will  only  go  his  way,  he  will 
always  find  there  is  a way  for  him.  God  has  a way  or 
race-course  for  every  man.  You  have  only  to  look  round 
to  find  it.  Is  your  gift  speech  ? Then  go  and  speak  a 
word  to  those  that  need  to  be  instructed.  Is  your  gift  in- 
fluence ? Exert  it  accordingly.  Is  your  gift  wealth  ? 
Expend  it  accordingly.  God  does  not  make  you  answer- 
able  for  what  he  has  not  given  you  ; but  only  for  the  sa- 
cred use  of  what  he  has  given  you.  I have  no  manner  of 
sympathy  with  the  sentiments  of  those  who  think  that 
when  men  become  Christians  they  ought  to  bid  farewell  to 
the  Avorld ; in  other  words,  translated  into  plain  speech, 
they  ought  to  hand  it  over  to  the  devil,  and  go  and  enjoy 
themselves  out  of  it.  That  is  not  God’s  way.  We  are 
here  as  soldiers  to  figbt  in  God’s  ranks,  to  protest  against 
the  devil’s  usurpation  of  the  world ; and  every  man  at  his 
own  door-step  to  reclaim  some  little  portion  of  that  world, 
that  it  may  enjoy  the  sunshine  and  the  dews  of  heaven,  and 
blossom  like  the  rose,  and  be  for  a memorial  to  our  God, 
and  for  the  praise  and  the  honor  of  his  great  name.  Be- 
cause God  makes  you  a Christian,  he  does  not  say.  Come 
mechanically  out  of  the  world  ; but  he  bids  you,  while  in 
the  world,  in  His  strength,  overcome  the  world.  There- 
fore if  I became  a Christian  soldier  in  the  army,  I would 
not  sell  my  commission,  I would  be  a Christian  soldier ; 
if  I became  a Christian  in  the  parliament,  I would  not  re- 
sign my  seat,  bat  I would  act,  and  vote,  and  speak  as  a 
Christian  senator  in  the  parliament ; and  if  I became  a 
Christian,  as  a tradesman  I would  not  shut  my  shop  and 
sell  my  goods  by  auction,  but  I would  act  as  a Christian 


112 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


tradesman,  doing  justly,  cheating  no  man,  speaking  truth, 
and  acting  honorably  and  consistently  with  my  professions 
and  my  principles.  Vfe  are  not  to  be  like  the  monk,  who 
leaves  the  wwld,  as  he  calls  it,  because  he  dreads  its  temp- 
tations ; nor  are  we  to  imitate  the  suicide,  who  leaves  the 
world  because  he  dreads  its  troubles ; but  we  are  to  be 
what  the  master  has  prayed  that  we  may  be — I pray 
not  that  thou  wouldst  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  that 
thou  wouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil  of  the  world.’ ‘ That 
is  our  position,  these  our  marching  orders,  this  our  duty 
in  the  midst  of  the  world.  And  therefore.  Go  thou  thy 
way.  Daniel  the  prophet  must  be  Daniel  the  preacher ; 
and  Daniel  the  preacher  must  be  also  Daniel  the  practi- 
tioner. Go  thy  way,  for  there  is  sin  to  be  swept  away  ; 
there  are  broken  hearts  to  be  comforted ; there  are  sorrow- 
ing ones  to  be  cheered ; there  are  ignorant  ones  to  be  en- 
lightened ; there  is  plenty  to  do  in  this  world  of  ours 
alone  ; plenty  to  do.  I do  not  ask  you  to  do  the  thing 
that  I prefer ; I do  not  ask  you  to  engage  in  the  specific 
mission  that  my  sympathies  may  be  with  ; let  every  man 
select  for  himself  something  to  do,  and  let  him  do  it  with 
all  his  might.  I have  a strong  conviction  that  if  we  could 
only  treat  ourselves  and  the  world  in  our  Christian  duties 
as  people  at  Birmingham  "and  Sheffield  treat  pins,  we  should 
do  a vast  deal  more  good.  In  making  a pin,  for  instance, 
there  are  some  seven  men^  required ; that  is  to  say,  each 
man  has  his  own  part ; and  that  part,  however  minute,  he 
does  thoroughly.  If  every  person  takes  some  specific  thing, 
one  a ragged  school,  another  a day  school,  another  a Sun- 
day School,  another  the  circulation  of  useful  books  and 
tracts,  another  the  visiting  of  the  poor;  and  others,  who 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


^ 113 

have  not  time  for  that,  give  something  to  enable  their 
proxies  to  do  it,  for  proxies  are  permissible  where  there  is 
no  personal  ability  or  opportunity  ; were  each  to  take  up 
some  one  thing,  and  give  his  whole  heart  to  that,  I am 
quite  sure  that  greater  good  would  be  done.  The  late  Dr. 
Chalmers  used  to  say  that  success  is  only  to  be  obtained  by 
being  a man  of  one  thing.  If  it  is  to  preach  and  spread 
the  glorious  Gospel,  give  your  whole  heart,  and  soul,  and 
strength  to  it,  and  you  will  do  some  good ; but  if  you 
combine  with  the  preacher  the  schoolmaster,  or  if  you  have 
labors  that  interfere  with  it,  or  duties  incompatible  with  it, 
your  preaching  will  not  be  successful,  and  your  labor  will 
not  have  a blessing.  Go  thy  w^ay ; mind  thy  business, 
fulfil  thy  mission ; occupy  till  I come ; and  then  when 
the  end  arrives,  you  will  hear  the  words,  Well  done, 
thou  good  and  faithful  servant.  I gave  thee  one  talent, 
and  thou  hast  made  it  five  ; I gave  to  another  a talent,  and 
he  has  made  it  ten each  different  degrees  of  success, 
but  all,  because  Christians,  doing  something  to  make  them- 
selves more  useful,  the  world  wiser  and  happier  also.  So 
much  for  the  first  prescription  ; Go  thy  way.’’ 

There  is  in  the  second  place  the  comforting  and  as- 
suring promise,  ‘‘  Thou  shalt  rest.”  The  first  the  pre- 
scription of  duty;  the  second  the  cheering  promise,  to 
enable  you  to  fulfil  that  duty.  Thou  shalt  rest.” 
How  full  is  the  Bible  of  that  word  ‘^rest!”  ‘‘Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.”  And  again,  “There  remaineth  a 
rest  for  the  people  of  God.”  Let  me  explain  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  “ rest”  in  that  passage  in  Hebrews  iv. ; 
it  is  the  translation  of  the  Greek  word  (Toc^^ajia/iidg^ 


114 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATIjN. 


which  means  sabbath-keeping;’’  there  remaineth  a 
sabbath-keeping  for  the  people  of  God.”  The  very 
phrase  that  denotes  the  millennial  rest  is  sabbath- 
keeping.” Every  sabbath,  therefore,  that  we  spend  is 
in  its  measure,  very  imperfect  it  is  true,  a type  and 
earnest  of  the  everlasting  sabbath ; and  every  sabbath 
that  we  come  to  is  a sabbath  nearer  the  everlasting  rest 
that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God.  What  a beauti- 
ful day  is  the  sabbath  ! I do  not  mean  the  Jewish  sab- 
bath ; I do  not  mean  the  extreme  Puritanic  sabbath ; I 
mean  the  Christian  and  the  evangelical  sabbath.  It  looks 
to  me  as  if  on  that  day  the  sun  rose  with  a freshness  in- 
dicating his  design  to  begin  a new  and  more  glorious 
march ; as  if  the  sanctuary,  wherever  it  be,  and  however 
humble,  stood  out  from  amidst  the  houses  with  sharper 
and  more  beautiful  relief;  as  if  there  were  a burst  of 
heaven’s  sunshine  once  a week,  to  let  us  know  what  a 
bright  and  blessed  state  that  will  be ; when  all  the  mills 
stand  still;  the  shops  are  shut;  the  noise,  and  bustle, 
and  excitement  of  life  seem  laid , and  it  seems  as  if  there 
were  what  in  the  Apocalypse  is  called  a half-hour’s  si- 
lence ; when  man  may  listen  and  hear  ringing  unspent  in 
their  transit  from  home  the  blessed  accents  of  his  father 
and  his  God.  That  sabbath,  with  its  privileges,  its  les- 
sons, its  sanctuaries,  is  a type,  an  imperfect  type,  but 
still  a type  of  the  rest,  the  sabbath-keeping,  that  re- 
maineth for  the  people  of  God.  Thou  shalt  rest.” 
Now  what  will  be  the  nature  of  that  rest — that  future  ? 
For  I confess  I look  oftener  forward  than  I look  upward. 
We  are  more  prone  to  look  upward  than  to  look  forward. 
It  is  remarkable  that  all  promises  of  glad  things,  and 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


115 


bright  things,  and  blessed  things  are  in  the  future ; and 
that  the  most  common  direction  of  the  Bible  is  to  look 
forward  for  our  heaven,  rather  than  to  look  upward.  If 
death  takes  us,  then  it  is  God’s  will;  but  if  we  are 
spared,  and  so  are  introduced  into  that  rest,  that  is  what 
the  New  Testament  points  out.  I do  not  think  there  is  a 
text  in  the  Bible  warning  man  by  the  prospect  of  death, 
or  bidding  man  look  to  death,  or  directing  him  to  think 
of  death.  One  will  be  very  much  struck  on  reading  the 
Epistles  by  finding  how  constantly  we  are  enjoined,  By 
the  coming  of  the  Lord;”  by  what  is  in  the  future;  by 
the  inheritance  laid  up  for  us ; by  wlmt  we  are  taught  to 
anticipate.  We  are  constantly  encouraged  to  duties  by 
the  reward  not  that  is  above  us,  but  the  reward  that 
gleams  in  the  distance  far  beyond  and  before  us.  It  is 
promised,  Thou  shalt  rest.”  What  will  be  the  nature 
of  this  rest?  First,  it  will  not  be  a mere  scene  of  sen- 
suous enjoyment ; — I use  the  word  sensuous  in  contra- 
distinction to  the  word  sensual ; — it  will  be  the  enjoy- 
ment of  sense,  but  of  sense  sanctified.  The  future  rest 
will  not  be  spiritual  only ; we  shall  have  bodies,  but  re- 
surrection and  glorified  bodies,  made  after  the  image  of 
our  Lord’s  glorious  body.  There  will  be  all  that  can 
charm  the  ear ; can  we  suppose  music  is  unfit  for  heav- 
en ? On  the  contrary.  There  will  be  all  that  will  gra- 
tify the  eye ; a panorama  of  splendor,  beauty,  and  mag- 
nificence, such  as  eye  never  saw,  and  such  as  poet  never 
delineated.  It  is  true  all  this  will  not  be  heaven,  nor 
the  chief  joy  in  heaven;  but  on  one  ledge  at  least  of  our 
ceaseless  ascent,  ear,  and  eye,  and  taste,  and  imagination 


116 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


will  be  gratified  by  things  such  as  eye  has  not  yet  seen, 
and  ear  has  not  yet  heard.  That  blessed  rest  will  not  be 
exclusively  intellectual.  There  will  be  the  gratification 
of  the  intellect ; questions  that  perplex  philosophers  now 
will  be  axioms  then ; the  difiSculties  of  the  most  culti- 
vated intellects  here  will  be  the  perfect  knowledge  and 
possession  of  the  humblest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
What  we  know  not  now  we  shall  know  hereafter.  The 
desire  of  knowledge  becomes  knowledge,  just  as  the  de- 
sire of  grace  becomes  grace.  How  many  things  do  we 
want  to  know ; what  heights,  and  depths,  and  mysteries, 
and  perplexities,  and  obscurities,  constantly  beset  our 
path  ; and  how  do  we  long  for  some  (Edipus  to  solve  the 
riddle,  some  Solomon  to  teach  us  more  than  we  dream 
of!  how  earnestly,  therefore,  should  we  anticipate  that 
day  when  what  thou  knowest  not  now,  thou  shaft  know 
hereafter,’’  shall  no  longer  be  a promise  in  the  future, 
but  a reality  in  the  present ; and  when  we  shall  know 
even  as  we  are  known.  But  this  is  not  all ; the  fu- 
ture rest  will  not  be  a Pagan  Elysium,  nor  a Mahometan 
Paradise,  nor  a great  intellectual  school,  a higher  uni- 
versity; it  will  be  all  this,  but  it  wilh  be  something 
greater  still.  It  will  be  that  perfection  to  which  all  past 
ages  have  contributed,  and  in  whose  glory  all  past  ages 
shall  be  crowned.  It  will  be  to  the  world  what  the 
flower  is  to  the  stem  and  to  the  root ; its  culminating 
beauty  and  perfection.  It  is  a thought  I would  not  give 
up  for  the  world  that  this  earth  of  ours  is  not  doomed  to 
annihilation,  nor  to  be  made  a present  of  to  him  who  has 
corrupted  it;  every  inch  of  it  is  to  be  purified,  every 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


117 


atom  of  it  is  to  be  rebaptized ; it  is  to  be  the  loveliest 
orb  in  the  sisterhood  of  stars  ; on  which  all  orbs  will 
look,  and  from  which  lessons  will  leap  up  soaring  into 
distant  wwlds,  and  making  the  universe  wiser,  and  hap- 
pier, and  more  thankful,  because  one  sister  orb  fell,  and 
has  been  reclaimed,  restored,  and  introduced  again  into 
the  communion  of  the  happy,  the  holy,  and  the  unfallen. 
Imagination  will  find  its  rest ; intellect  its  rest ; prophet, 
and  patriarch,  and  evangelist,  will  find  their  rest ; we 
shall  have  all  the  heart’s  yearnings  gratified,  all  the 
mind’s  desires  met ; and  as  we  enter  into  that  blessed 
rest,  and  taste  of  its  joy,  and  find  all  broken  circles  re- 
stored, and  all  those  that  we  called  lost  waiting  for  us, 
we  shall  be  astonished  that  we  groped,  and  loved  to  grope 
in  this  dark,  damp  crypt  that  we  call  the  present  world, 
and  that  we  did  not  long  to  go  up  into  that  glorious  sun- 
lit cathedral,  the  high  altar  of  which  is  the  Son  of  God, 
in  which  the  song  never  ceases,  in  which  there  shines  the 
light  of  an  everlasting  sabbath ; in  which  there  is  no  need 
of  the  sun,  nor  of  the  moon,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  of 
the  Lamb  are  the  light  thereof.  Such  then  is  the  rest 
that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God.  It  will  be  rest 
from  all  toil,  ofiicial  and  political.  Daniel  was  a prime 
minister  in  Babylon ; he  met  with  persecution ; he  was 
maligned  and  misrepresented.  When  God  told  Daniel 
this,  he  said,  Daniel,  you  will  cease  to  be  a minister  of 
the  earthly  sovereign,  you  must  now  come  up  higher, 
and  become  a minister  of  the  heavenly ; your  work  in 
Babylon  is  done,  your  enjoyment  in  heaven  begins,  and 
in  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  Avill  be 


118 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


augmented  day  by  day.  This  expression,  Thou  shalt 
rest,’’  means  also.  Thou  shalt  be  free  from  all  trouble, 
and  grief,  and  aches,  and  ills,  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  These 
are  the  progeny  of  sin ; but  in  that  blessed  sabbath,  that 
glorious  rest,  we  shall  be  free  from  all  these.  There 
Avill  be  a sky  whose  sunshine  will  not  scorch,  nor  be  in- 
terrupted by  a transient  cloud,  nor  know  a western  de- 
clension ; there  will  be  that  river  that  maketh  glad  the 
city  of  our  God , there  will  be  rest,  enjoyment,  peace, 
immunity  from  all  that  disturbs  ; for  the  gates  of  glory 
that  let  the  Christian  in  shut  out  all  the  cares,  ills,  and 
aches  that  the  Christian  has  long  been  heir  to.  No  wave 
of  trouble  will  fall  into  that  beautiful  and  peaceful  bay ; 
the  unspent  and  remote  sound  of  it  from  far  off  only 
will  be  heard  ; and  the  sense  of  past  trouble  will  only  add 
to  the  intensity  of  present  enjoyment.  The  promise  to 
Daniel,  Thou  shalt  rest,”  implies.  Thou  shalt  rest 
from  all  sickness,  from  disease,  from  death,  from  sin; 
thou  shalt  rest  for  ever.  In  the  language  of  the  prophet, 
^^The  inhabitant  shall  not  say  any  more,  I am  sick.” 
Headaches  and  heartaches  will  be  unknown.  Those  of 
us  who  have  health,  oh  how  thankful  we  should  be  ! I 
do  not  believe  that  any  one  knows  the  blessings  of  health 
except  those  that,  like  Job,  say  in  the  morning,  Would 
God  it  were  the  evening,”  and  in  the  evening,  Would 
God  it  were  the  morning.”  There  will  be  health,  un- 
interrupted health,  perfect  freedom  from  all  sickness, 
from  tears,  from  death.  You  will  rest,  finally,  from  all 
the  assaults  of  Satan,  all  the  temptations  of  the  Wicked 
One ; from  all  that  can  lead  you  to  diverge  or  to  go 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


119 


astray,  or  to  do  Avliat  is  sinful  and  unholy  in  the  sight  of 
God.  What  a grand  thought,  that  every  sabbath  brings 
4 us  nearer  to  this  rest ! Each  sabbath  is  like  the  wave  of 
the  advancing  tides  of  the  sea,  kissing  the  shore,  prelim- 
inary to  the  approach  of  the  whole  weight  and  grandeur 
of  the  ocean.  Every  year  that  we  spend,  every  sabbath 
that  we  enjoy,  is  so  much  of  this  world  gone,  and  we  are 
so  much  nearer  that  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people 
of  God.  Such  is  the  rest  before  us.  Broken-hearted 
ones,  there  is  healing  for  you.  Rachel,  weeping  for 
your  children,  because  they  are  not,  there  is  the  restora- 
tion of  them  for  you.  Ye  who  are  weary  and  heavy 
laden  with  this  world’s  burdens,  there  is  rest  for  you. 
Ye  Avho  are  sick  and  suffering,  and  know  not  what  health 
is,  be  patient ; there  is  an  issue  out  of  it,  a glorious  de- 
liverance, a blessed  rest.  Let  us  draw  on  the  future  for 
a little  sunshine  in  the  present.  You  may  draw  from 
that  inexhaustible  capital  and  you  will  find  that  the  pres- 
ent will  be  lightened  in  its  load  as  the  future  comes  in  to 
cheer  and  to  comfort  you. 

Thou  shalt  stand  in  thy  lot.”  What  does  this  mean? 
I answer,  first  of  all,  that  the  individual  Christian  is 
here  recognised  as  individually  seen  of  God.  This  is  a 
thought  I wish  each  of  us  could  realise,  that  God’s  eye, 
his  loving  eye,  his  careful  eye,  is  as  much  upon  me  as  if 
there  was  nobody  else  in  the  whole  of  Europe  he  cared 
for.  There  is  not  a sorrow  in  your  inmost  heart  that 
has  not  its  resounding  echo  in  the  heart  of  your  Father ; 
there  is  not  an  anxiety  you  feel,  however  trivial  it  may 
seem  to  others,  that  God  regards  as  unworthy  of  notice. 


120 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


Magnificent  thought,  we  move  in  the  midst  of  a cease- 
less guardianship ; all  heaven  encompasses  us  ; our  Fath- 
er’s eye  is  ever  on  us.  -‘Go  thou  thy  way ; for  thou 
shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot.”  What  is  this  lot?  It 
is  described  in  that  passage  which  the  poet  Burns  said 
he  never  could  read  without  weeping.  Who  are  these, 
and  whence  came  they  ? These  are  they  that  came  out 
of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore 
are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day 
and  night  in  his  temple ; and  he  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne  shall  dwell  among  them.  They  shall  hunger  no 
more,  neither  thirst  any  more ; neither  shall  the  sun 
light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead 
them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters ; and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.”  That  is  the  lot  ; 
in  that  lot,  in  that  shining  lot,  Daniel  and  we  shall  stand. 
But  perhaps  there  is  something  more  specific  still  in  the 
promise,  Thou  shalt  stand  in  thy  lot.”  There  are  de- 
grees of  glory ; the  right  of  entrance  into  heaven  is  for 
all  Christians ; but  there  are  heights  in  heaven,  there 
are  thrones,  and  degrees  of  glory.  If  I were  to  put  a 
vessel  that  holds  a pint,  and  a vessel  that  holds  a quart, 
and  a vessel  that  holds  a gallon,  into  the  ocean,  they 
would  all  be  full ; but  the  one  that  holds  a gallon  would 
contain  more  than  the  one  that  holds  only  a pint.  So 
when  all  Christians  go  to  heaven,  they  will  all  be  full  of 
happiness,  but  one  has  a larger  capacity  than  another, 
and  is  capable  of  a greater  amount  of  felicity.  Daniel 
liimself  says,  They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness 


THE  GLORIOUS  LOT. 


121 


shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as 
the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.’’  Daniel  was  to  be  numbered 
in  that  lot.  He  had  been  a successful  preacher,  a faith- 
ful martyr,  and  he  will  therefore  be  in  the  goodly  fellow- 
ship of  the  prophets ; others  in  the  noble  army  of  martyrs ; 
others  in  the  glorious  company  of  the  apostles ; and 
others  in  thy  holy  church  throughout  all  the  world. 


6 


LECTURE  XXVIII. 


THE  ENDURING  WORD. 

“ Heaveji  and  earth  shall  j)ass  away ^ hut  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away^ — Matthew  xxiv.  35. 

I HAVE  explained  these  words,  This  generation  shall 
not  pass  away,  till  all  these  things  bo  fulfilled.'’  I 
showed,  first,  by  references  to  the  usage  of  the  words ; 
secondly,  by  facts  that  are  legible  along  the  whole  path  of 
history  for  eighteen  hundred  years,  that  one  great  na- 
tionality, -which  is  the  meaning  of  the  word,  has  not 
passed  away  ; and  gives  token  still  by  its  existence,  its 
influence,  its  insulation  from  the  mass,  and  yet  its  com- 
mand of  all  the  wealth  almost  of  the  w^orld ; that  the 
Jewish  race,  so  ill  treated,  insulted,  and  reproached,  but 
so  mistakenly  so,  shall  exist  until  the  close  of  this  dis- 
pensation ; and  then,  like  a streamlet  that  has  pursued 
its  course  for  eighteen  hundred  years,  shall  mingle  and 
mix  with  the  endless  main  of  a redeemed  and  regene- 
rated people.  The  word  rendered  pass  away,”  here 
used  to  describe  the  duration  of  the  Jewish  race,  is  also 
applied  to  the  word  of  God,  Christ’s  word ; heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  it  shall  not  pass  away.  We 
have  seen  that  various  physical  phenomena,  moral  calam- 

(122) 


THE  ENDURING  WORD. 


123 


ities,  great  changes  and  convulsions  in  the  physical  con- 
stitution of  things^  will  precede  the  winding  up  of  that 
magnificent  drama  of  which  angels  are  the  spectators, 
and  men  the  solemn  and  responsible  actors.  All  these 
earthquakes,  famines,  darkening  of  the  sun,  shaking  of 
the  heavens,  distress  of  nations,  perplexity,  the  sea  and 
the  waves  roaring,  are  the  tokens  of  nature’s  sickness, 
the  evidences  of  her  increasing  disease,  and  advancing  de- 
cay, foretokens,  according  to  their  depth  and  multiplica- 
tion, that  her  death  is  near ; when  the  old  earth,  weary 
with  the  sobs  of  her  children,  sick  of  being  a grave  for 
her  offspring,  torn  and  ploughed  by  war,  convulsed  by 
earthquake,  shall  at  last  die,  but  only  to  rise  again  a new 
and  more  beautiful  earth.  But,  says  our  Lord,  this 
heaven  and  this  earth  may  pass,  away,  but  something 
shall  outlive  them  all ; and  draw  its  nutriment,  and  the 
elements  and  growth  of  its  victory  from  all  ; that  word 
which  lasts  forever  : the  most  magnificent  of  created 
things  being  transient ; the  least  word  that  Christ  has 
spoken  eternal  and  enduring  for  ever.  What  Avord  is 
this?  The  answer  is,  My  word.”  Who  spoke  this 
word  ? Jesus  Christ  the  Savior.  Must  not  He  be  God 
who  could  fling  upon  the  winds  such  a prophecy  as  this, 
and  be  sure  of  its  everlasting  success  ? The  man  of  sor- 
rows, He  who  was  acquainted  with  grief,  He  wdio  accom- 
plished that  mysterious  tragedy  which  ended  in  a cross 
on  earth,  but  culminates  in  a crown  in  heaven ; He  who 
had  nowhere  to  lay  his  head.  He  who  was  marching  to  a 
grave,  says,  seated  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  in  the  midst 
of  a few  fishermen,  My  word  shall  never  pass  away.” 
He  that  said  so  was  either  a fanatic,  or  He  was  the  living 


124 


TliE  (iKEAT  TKlEULATiOX. 


God ; that  He  was  the  latter  we  know  ; that  the  pro- 
phecy, therefore,  is  truth,  we  are  sure:  ‘‘heaven  and 
earth  may  all  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass 
away.”  But  I have  said  it  is  Christ’s  word  : do  we  not 
however,  when  we  open  this  book,  think  it  is  the  word  of 
Jeremiah,  of  Moses,  of  Isaiah,  of  John,  and  of  James? 
They  were  the  instruments,  but  Christ’s  word  is  neverthe- 
theless  audible  in  all.  In  all  the  songs  of  Moses  is  heard 
the  song  of  the  Lamb  ; in  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah, 
in  the  rushing  strains  of  Isaiah,  in  the  plaintive  hymns 
and  melodies  of  David,  in  the  awful  magnificence  of  Ha- 
bakuk,  when  he  speaks  of  the  perpetual  hills  bowing 
themselves,  and  the  everlasting  mountains  being  scatter- 
ed ; in  the  dying  prophecies  of  Malachi,  in  the  startling 
accents  of  the  Baptist ; in  the  gentle  speech  of  John,  in 
the  rushing  logic  of  Paul,  in  the  gorgeous  eloquence  of 
the  seer  of  Patrnos ; in  all  their  varied  strains  we  can 
hear  ringing  clear,  sweet,  pervading  all,  audible  in  all, 
the  word  and  voice  of  the  Son  of  God ; their  words  are 
the  mere  echoes  and  reflections  of  Christ’s  mind. 

What  are  some  of  the  marks  and  characteristics  of 
Christ’s  word  ? I will  quote  one  or  two  as  given  in  the 
Bible.  First,  it  was  said  of  him,  “He  speaks  with  au- 
thority.” Now  open  a page  of  an  ancient  philosopher; 
it  is  full  of  guesses,  of  hopes,  of  dim  imaginations.  Open 
a page  of  the  gospel : “I  say  unto  you  “ It  is  writ- 
ten;” “ This  is  the  truth  ;”  “ I am  the  way,  the  truth, 

; nd  the  life;”  an  unfaltering  utterance  of  truths  that 
never  came  within  the  horizon  before,  a decisive  expres- 
sion of,  magnificent  words,  never  guessed  in  Grecian 
school,  never  dreamed  of  in  Jewish  synagogue.  There 


THE  ENDURING  WORD. 


125 


is  a glory  on  the  inspired  page  that  you  cannot  mistake  ; 
it  has  a kingly  stamp  and  majesty  about  it ; it  bears  the 
very  impress  of  the  authority  and  the  superscription  of  a 
king.  There  is  a simplicity  and  a grandeur  in  that  book, 
an  acquaintance  with  the  past  and  the  future,  an  inspec- 
tion and  a revelation  of  heaven  and  hell ; and  what  is 
greater  than  all,  an  analysis  of  my  heart  and  my  con- 
science ; so  that  when  I read  this  book  it  looks  as  if  there 
was  a mirror  before  my  heart  that  reflects  all  its  most 
fugitive  lights  and  shadows,  as  if  there  were  a hand  touch- 
ing my  conscience  that  lays  bare  all  its  innermost  doubts, 
fears,  hopes,  perplexities ; so  truly  that  He  who  wrote 
this  book  was  none  else  than  He  that  made  my  heart, 
and  gave  me  all  my  mental  and  moral  organism.  Christ 
speaks  in  this  word  with  authority  ; we  hear  men  in  the 
present  day  saying.  We  want  an  authority,  here  it  is ; 
they  want  a speaking  authority,  here  it  is  ; Hear  what 
the  Spirit  saitli  unto  the  churches.’’  The  peculiarity  of 
the  Bible  is,  it  is  not  So  much  written  as  lived  and  spoken. 
Even  Milton’s  majestic  poem  palls  upon  the  taste ; even 
the  most  magnificent  passages  in  the  great  dramas  of  the 
master  of  human  speech  and  knowledge  we  get  tired  of 
reading ; but  there  is  about  this  book  a freshness,  so  real 
that  it  makes  us  feel  as  if  we  heard  those  beautiful  ac- 
cents, such  as  never  fell  from  man’s  lips,  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan — that  awful  and  piercing  wail  from  the 
cross,  which  rent  the  grave  and  entered  heaven — those 
congratulatory  strains  when  He  rose  from  the  dead,  those 
sweet  encouragements,  those  gentle  rebukes,  those  musi- 
cal promises.  There  is  about  the  Bible  • a freshness  that 
makes  us  feel,  whilst  it  speaks  with  authority,  it  speaks 


126 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


in  such  a ivay  as  makes  it,  like  the  song  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse, ever  old  and  yet  ever  new.  If  Christ  speaks  in 
this  word  with  authority,  let  me  ask,  Avhat  have  critics  to 
do  ? Not  to  amend  the  Bible,  but  to  ascertain  what  are 
the  very  words  of  the  Bible.  Vfhat  have  preachers  to 
do  ? Not  to  adorn  the  Bible ; for  to  adorn  its  glorious 
truths  is  to  try  to  paint  the  lily,  to  gild  refined  gold,  or 
to  add  fresh  perfume  to  the  violet ; but  simply  to  unfold 
them.  What  has  reason  to  do  ? To  bow  before  an  au- 
thority which  is  the  author,  and  the  inspirer,  and  the 
maker  of  reason.  What  have  all  of  us  to  do  ? To  receive 
God’s  truth  ; to  lay  it  up  in  our  hearts,  to  exemplify  it 
in  our  lives,  to  spread  it  abroad,  at  home,  and  amid  the 
heathen  in  distant  lands ; and  not  to  cease  to  do  so  till 
the  accents  uttered  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows  ring  in  glo- 
rious reverberations  from  east,  and  west,  and  north,  and 
south,  and  from  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  whole  earth  is 
filled  with  his  glory. 

I turn  to  another  characteristic  of  his  word  ; and  it  is 
one  which  He  gave  himself,  his  testimony  is  true.  I 
am  the  truth  **  Thy  ivord  is  truth.”  Christ’s  word  is 
truth.  So,  you  say,  is  Euclid  ; so  is  mathematics  ; so  is 
sunrise  and  the  sunset.  But  there  is  a distinction  among 
truths  ; some  truths  are  useless,  other  truths  are  instruc- 
tive, other  truths  are  interesting ; but  the  truths  in  this 
book  are  saving,  essential,  vital.  As  in  the  human  econ- 
omy, you  may  lose  an  arm,  and  yet  be  healthy  and  live 
long;  you  may  lose  a foot,  and  yet  be  healthy  and  live 
long;  but  if  you  lose  the  heart,  or  the  brain,  or  the 
lungs,  there  is  an  end  of  you  for  this  ivorld.  In  our 
body  there  are  some  organs  that  core  essential,  there  are 


THE  ENDURING  WORD. 


127 


other  organs  that  are  very  useful,  and  there  are  a few 
that  are  merely  ornamental.  It  is  the  same  with  this 
blessed  book ; there  are  certain  truths  in  it  essential ; 
there  are  other  truths  that  are  most  valuable,  and  there 
are  some  that  are  ornamental;  but  none  that  are  not 
true,  and  of  importance  to  the  conversion,  the  comfort, 
happiness,  or  progress  of  the  human  soul.  Our  blessed 
Lord  says  his  word  is  truth ; truth  without  the  least  al- 
loy ; light  reflected  from  words  in  which  there  is  no  de- 
flection whatever.  We  need  not  only  to  see  an  object, 
but  we  need  to  have  a pure  medium  through  which  to  see 
it ; and  to  find  the  way  to  heaven  as  inspired  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  it  needs  the  pure  medium  of  pure  words, 
that  we  may  see  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  in  all 
its  pristine  purity  and  glory. 

His  word  is  spirit  and  life.  The  words  that  I speak 
unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  life.’’  Milton’s  Paradise 
Lost”  is  poetry ; Cicero’s  writings  are  eloquence,  but 
Christ’s  word  is  life.  One  other  characteristic  I must 
give.  It  is  the  admission  of  his  enemies;  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man.”  What  proud  spirits  has  a single 
sentence  from  the  Scripture  humbled  ; what  broken  hearts 
has  it  bound  up ; Avhat  sorrows  has  it  diluted  or  washed 
away  ; wdiat  tears  has  it  dried  up  ! Other  voices  leave 
echoes  behind  them  ; this  voice  leaves  a deep  and  perma- 
nent impression  wherever  it  strikes ; it  is  the  savor  of 
life,  the  incorruptible  seed,  through  Avhich  we  are  born 
again.  Now  such  is  the  character  of  Christ’s  word, 
drawn  from  itself 

What  does  Christ  say  of  this  word?  ^‘Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away  ; but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away.” 


128 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


The  empire  of  Caesar  is  gone ; the  legions  of  Rome  are 
mouldering  in  the  dust ; the  avalanches  of  Napoleon 
hurled  upon  Europe  have  melted  away ; the  pride  of  the 
Pharaohs  is  fallen ; the  pyramids  they  raised  to  be  their 
tombs  are  sinking  every  day  in  the  desert  sands ; Tyre  is 
a rock  for  bleaching  fishermen’s  nets  ; Sidon  has  scarcely 
left  a wreck  behind ; but  the  w^ord  of  Christ  still  sur- 
vives ; it  speaks  with  undiluted  emphasis,  it  spreads 
with  uninterupted  speed.  All  things  that  threatened  to 
extinguish  it  have  only  aided  it ; and  it  proves  every  day 
how  transient  is  the  noblest  monument  that  man  can 
build,  how  enduring  is  the  least  word  that  the  Son  of 
God  has  spoken.  Tradition  has  dug  for  it  many  a grave, 
intolerance  has  lighted  for  it  many  a fagot ; many  a 
Judas  has  betrayed  it  with  a kiss ; many  a Peter  has  de- 
nied it  with  an  oath ; many  a Demas  has  forsaken  it ; 
but  heaven  and  earth  may  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall 
not  pass  away  till  all  be  fulfilled.  Those  things  that 
once  seemed  to  rise  like  mountain  obstructions  to  its 
march  are  day  by  day  dissolving  like  wreaths  of  snow  in 
the  sunshine,  in  contrast  to  the  advancing  and  triumphant 
word  of  the  Lord.  The  scepticism  of  Hume,  and  Rous- 
seau, and  Paine,  is  now^  laughed  at  even  by  disbelievers 
in  Christianity ; the  objections  of  Strauss,  urged  a few 
years  ago  with  great  power  and  in  the  most  plausible  lan- 
guage, are  now  regarded  as  untenable  even  by  those  who 
are  opposed  to  the  Gospel.  And  the  last  and  the  only 
form  of  scepticism  that  we  have  now,  if  we  exclude  mere 
practical  sceptism,  is  that  of  Emerson,  and  some  who 
have  arisen  in  the  continent  of  America,  who  seem  to 
.triumph  in  pulling  down  everything,  but  who  have  lost 


THE  ENDURING  WORD. 


129 


all  idea  of  building  up  anything ; and  their  objections 
are  so  metaphysical,  so  fanciful,  so  transcendental,  that 
they  have  only  had  effect  with  a few  speculative  minds  ; 
they  have  made  no  impression  upon  the  masses  of  man- 
kind. If  we  turn  to  other  forms  of  error,  Mahometan- 
ism is  dying  out ; Romanism  is  losing  its  influence ; and 
the  hour  is  almost  at  hand  when  a voice  shall  ring  from 
heaven  to  earth,  and  from  earth  to  heaven,  Babylon  the 
great  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  and  shall  rise  no  more  at  all.’’ 
We  see  on  every  side  evidence  of  the  progress  of  the 
Bible ; and  of  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy ; and  of 
the  decadence  or  disappearance  of  all  that  stands  in  its 
way.  And  after  heaven  and  earth  have  passed  away,  and 
a new  heaven  and  a new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness, are  come,  will  Christ’s  w’ord  cease  then  ? No ; 
the  only  change  will  be — all  its  promises  will  be  enjoy- 
ments, all  its  prophecies  history,  all  its  invitations  expe- 
rience ; and  what  is , now  inscribed  upon  the  parchment, 
or  upon  the  frail  paper,  shall  be  inscribed  upon  all  space 
as  its  glorious  page, — the  stars  will  be  its  magnificent 
letters,  constellations  will  be  its  magnificent  sentences  ; 
the  winds  will  whisper  its  sweet  sounds,  the  waves  in  their 
chimes  will  give  utterance  to  its  glorious  truths  ; and  that 
word  so  long  persecuted,  then  enthroned  and  enshrined, 
will  be  the  reference  book  of  the  redeemed  in  glory  ; and 
ever  as  a Christian  wants  to  trace  and  retread  all  the 
way  through  which  God  led  him  upon  earth,  he  will  take 
the  chart  in  his  hand  with  the  experience  in  his  heart ; 
and  ever  as  he  discovers  a new  place  where  he  raised  an 
Ebenezer  here  below,  he  will  lift  up  a fresh  song  unto 
Him  that  loved  him,  and  washed  him  from  his  sins  in  his 
6* 


130 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


own  blood,  and  hath  made  him  a king  and  a priest  unto 
his  God.  But  this  sentence  shall  be  felt  in  hell,  as  well 
as  enjoyed  and  realized  in  heaven.  The  lost  in  misery 
will  be  constrained  to  say,  Heaven  and  earth  have  passed 
away,  0 God  ; but  thy  word  has  not  passed  away.  Thou 
didst  say,  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned  ; 0 
God,  it  is  true,  hopelessly,  terribly,  without  mitigation, 
without  measure,  without  end,  it  is  true.  And  the  saved 
in  heaven  shall  be  able  to  say.  He  that  believeth  shall  be 
saved ; 0 Lord,  it  is  true,  gloriously  true.  It  will  be 
discovered  then  that  what  we  thought  adjuncts  were  es- 
sentials, and  what  we  thought  exaggerated  metaphors 
were  literal  truths  ; and  that  the  least  promise,  or  bless- 
ing, or  mercy,  that  Christ  spoke  or  that  the  Spirit  taught 
was  never  couched  in  exaggerated  language,  but  rather 
in  words  not  vast  and  magnificent  enough  to  embody  the 
glorious  living  truth. 

Christian  believer,  here  is  comfort,  in  the  great  tribu- 
lation to  you.  Of  the  least  promise  that  you  choose  to 
select  you  may  say.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
but  this  promise  shall  not  pass  away.  ‘‘  I will  never 
leave  thee  ; I will  never  forsake  thee  this  is  not  a ran- 
dom expression  : nor  language  that  needs  to  be  diluted  ; 
it  is  literally  and  strictly  true,  applicable  to  you,  may 
be  enjoyed  by  you,  wLerever  you  are,  and  under  what- 
ever circumstances  you  are  placed.  Hesitating,  trembling 
one,  who  would  be  a Christian,  and  yet  fears ; who  be- 
lieves that  the  Gospel  is  true,  and  yet  says,  I wish  I felt 
its  power  ; I wish  I could  believe  ; I wish  I could  see 
my  way  as  clearly  to  Christ  and  to  happiness  as  you  do. 
The  way  is  plain  ; Him  that  cometh  unto  me,’’  says 


THE  ENDUKING  WORD. 


131 


Christ,  I will  in  no  wise  cast  out.’’  Heaven  and  earth 
may  pass  away,  but  I will  not  cast  him  out.  Do  I ad- 
dress those  who  sigh  and  grieve  over  all  they  see  around 
them ; heathen  at  home,  darkness  at  our  doors,  vice  in 
public  places,  sin  everywhere  ? There  is  a promise 
which  will  cheer  you ; and  what  is  it  ? The  whole 
earth  shall  be  filled  with  my  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.”  Then  remember  you  are  on  the  winning  side; 
a Christian  is  in  a Phalanx  that  never  can  be  permanently 
if  it  be  temporarily  beaten  ; for  the  whole  earth  shall  be 
covered  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  Avaters  of  the 
ocean  cover  the  channels  of  the  great  deep.  If  these 
words  reach  a preacher  of  the  Gospel,  there  is  comfort 
here  for  him  also.  One  sometimes  feels  depressed  to  be 
doomed  to  ceaseless  sowing,  and  never,  or  at  all  events 
rarely,  reaping;  but  we  are  wrong.  Ours  is  to  fulfil 
the  Master’s  commission  ; it  is  his  to  evolve  the  appropriate 
issue;  and  he  himself  has  made  the  distinction;  “One 
soweth,  and  another  reapeth.”  Some  ministers  excel  in 
ploughing,  harrowing,  tearing  up,  and  preparing  the 
heart’s  rugged  soil,  taking  out  its  gnarled  roots  of  wick- 
edness, in  order  that  a second  may  come  and  sow  the  seed. 
He  that  sows  the  seed  amid  the  tears  of  weeping  eyes,  as 
martyrs  have  sown  it  amid  the  blood  of  w^arm  hearts,  may 
never  see  the  harvest ; but  another  av ill  come  in,  and  he 
will  bring  home  the  sheaves  with  joy  rejoicing.  We 
can  therefore  fall  back  upon  this  promise,  and  I must  say 
* it  is  enough,  “ My  word  shall  not  return  unto  me  void.” 
If,  therefore,  we  speak  Christ’s  truth,  it  is  hardening 
some,  it  is  softening  others ; and  where  w^e  can  see  no 
immediate  issue  at  all,  it  is  going  forth  upon  the  wings  of 


132 


THE  ailExVT  TillBULATION- 


the  wind  to  accomplish  promised,  pledged,  and  magnifi- 
cent results.  We  take  therefore  the  words  of  advice  of 
the  poet, — 

“ Drop  it  where  thorns  and  thistles  grow, 

Scatter  it  on  the  rock  ; 

Then  when  the  glorious  day, 

The  day  of  God  is  come, 

The  reapers  shall  descend, 

And  heaven  cry.  Harvest  home.” 

These  are  words  of  promise,  and  therefore  of  encour- 
agement. A greater  than  the  poet  has  said,  word 

shall  not  return  to  me  void.’  This  is  the  foundation  of 
our  hopes  of  success. 


LECTURE  XXIX. 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 

beloved^  he  not  ignorant  of  this  one  tiling^  that 
one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a thousand  years^  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day,^^ — 2 Peter  iii.  8. 

It  is  the  obvious  drift  of  the  apostle,  in  these  words,  to 
vindicate  God  from  the  charge  of  what  seems  delay  in 
fulfilling  his  promises  to  them  that  fear  Him,  and  in  exe- 
cuting judgments  upon  them  that  dishonor  and  disobey 
Him.  You  must  not,  says  Peter,  measure  the  greatness 
of  God  by  a rule  of  human  construction  ; you  must  recol- 
lect that  eternity  is  the  measure  of  his' existence ; three- 
score and  ten  mete  out  ours  ; and  that  on  the  great  scale 
of  an  everlasting  Being,  a thousand  years  is  less,  rela- 
tively, than  a single  day  is  when  measured  and  estimated 
in  relation  to  the  few  and  weary  years  that  bound  the  pil- 
grimage of  man.  The  idea  that  the  sacred  penman 
teaches  us  is,  that  our  days  are  fleet  and  few ; that  God’s 
days  are  endless  and  enduring ; and  the  practical  infer- 
ence we  are  to  draw  from  it  is  our  duty  to  use  the  days, 
few  or  many,  that  God  has  given  us,  for  those  great  and 
magnificent  ends  which  will  involve  at  once  our  highest 
happiness  and  God’s  greatest  glory.  Man’s  life  since  he 
sinned  and  fell,  and  still  more  since  the  Flood,  has  been 

(133) 


134 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


likened  to  the  most  evanescent  of  created  things.  We 
read,  ^‘Man  spends  his  days  as  a tale  that  is  told.’’ 
When  you  hear  an  interesting  story,  the  echoes  of  which 
continue  to  ring  in  the  cells  of  memory,  it  seems  as  if 
the  time  spent  in  telling  it  had  been  moments  and  not 
hours.  So  when  you  look  back  upon  the  past  period  of 
life,  how  rapidly  it  has  rushed  away  ! Let  the  man  who 
has  crossed  the  keystone  of  life’s  arch,  and  instead  of 
ascending  begins  at  length  to  descend,  take  a retrospect 
of  the  past  period  of  his  life ; does  it  not  seem  almost 
like  a dream  ? We  can  scarcely  realize  the  thought  that 
ten,  fifteen,  twenty,  or  thirty  years  have  passed  away ; 
but  we  find  the  thought  meetly  and  happily  expressed  by 
the  inspired  penman,  we  spend  our  days  as  a tale  that 
is  told.”  Again,  it  is  likened  to  a flower  of  the  field;  it 
is  likened  to  the  mountain  torrent  that  rushes  for  a few 
hours  full,  or  overflowing  its  banks,  and  then  disappears 
and  leaves  only  dry  rocks  in  its  channel.  All  nature 
seems  exhausted  of  her  choicest  imagery  to  persuade  us 
— how  strange  that  we  should  need  to  be  persuaded  ! — 
that  our  days  are  few,  and  in  many  a weeping  case  full 
of  sorrow.  But  so  it  is ; we  admit  the  fact ; but  of  all 
facts  it  is  one  we  least  feel.  A poet  said  in  scorn — 

“ All  men  think  all  men  mortal  but  themselves.” 

We  believe  abstractedly  what  we  read ; but  the  diflSculty 
is  to  treat  a grand  truth  as  men  sometimes  treat  a sinful 
feeling,  to  give  it  hospitality,  and  to  cherish  it,  until  that 
which  was  an  applicant  outside  at  the  door,  is  received  to 
the  warm  fireside  of  the  heart,  and  is  there  wrought  into 
the  very  w'oof  and  warp  and  tissue  of  our  every-day  life 
and  feeling.  Take  home  this  varied  imagery,  so  expres- 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


135 


sive  of  the  brevity  of  man’s  life ; and  when  you  feel  it, 
do  not  say  with  the  sensualist,  We  must  soon  die ; let  us 
eat,  and  drink,  and  be  merry : do  not  say  with  the  monk. 
We  must  soon  die ; let  us  leave  the  world  and  go  into  a 
convent:  but  let  us  say  with  the  Christian,  ‘‘The  time 
is  short ; it  remains,  therefore,  that  they  that  weep  be  as 
though  they  wept  not ; and  they  that  rejoice  as  though  they 
rejoiced  not ; and  they  that  buy,  as  though  they  possessed 
not ; and  they  that  use  the  world,  as  not  abusing  it ; for 
the  fashion  of  it  speedily  passeth  away.”  While  speak- 
ing of  years,  and  of  our  experience  of  what  the  years 
are,  let  me  notice  a very  interesting  truth  that  w^e  are 
disposed  sometimes  to  forget ; that  not  a minute,  nor  an 
hour,  nor  a day,  nor  a year  sweeps  over  us  without  leav- 
ing influences,  and  impressions,  and  giving  impulses  that 
may  never  end.  There  is  not  a cloud  that  sw^eeps 
through  the  sky,  and  casts  its  shadow  on  the  green  field, 
that  does  not  leave  an  influence  and  an  impression  upon 
the  grass  over  which  it  has  swept.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  not,  it  is  certainly  true  that  there  is  not  a year 
passes  over  us  that  does  not  alter  the  aspect  of  home, 
leave  grey  hairs  to  some,  broken  hearts  to  others,  and 
testify  its  transit  by  gaps,  and  losses,  and  crosses,  and 
bitter  disappointments,  and  heavy  trials,  and  heart-quakes 
worse  than  earthquakes  : time  as  it  sweeps  over  us  leaves 
traces  and  footprints  eternity  will  scarcely  be  able  to 
efface.  Let  us  notice  some  of  these.  Every  section  of 
time,  however  small  it  may  be,  alters  the  body  itself. 
There  is  not  a year  that  passes  over  the  head  which  does 
not  whiten  some  hair  that  was  not  whitened  before,  or 
leave  on  the  outward  physical  system  traces  of  its  rough 


136  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 

/ 

flood  rushing  through  its  many  channels  to  the  deep.  I 
do  not  believe  that  we  are  physically  at  any  one  moment 
the  same  in  all  respects,  however  microscopic  the  changes 
may  be,  that  we  Avere  a few  hours  or  months  before. 
It  seems  as  if,  in  youth,  time  amused  himself  by  decking 
every  part  of  the  body  with  beauty  and  with  blossom, 
and  it  seems  as  if,  after  forty,  time  spent  all  his  attention 
in  picking  off  each  flower  and  blossom,  till  all  becomes 
sere,  and  withered,  and  old.  During  the  first  half  of 
our  life  time  is  constantly  giving ; during  the  last  half 
time  seems  continually  abstracting ; during  the  first 
building  up  and  making  more  beautiful  and  strong ; dur- 
ing the  last  breaking  down  and  making  more  feeble  and 
frail : of  a certainty  not  one  of  us  is  physically  to-day 
what  we  were  twelve  months  ago.  I mean,  of  course,  in 
outward  condition ; ^some  are  older,  others  frailer ; the 
prints  of  the  crow’s  feet  are  multiplying  above  one’s  eye  ; 
the  wrinkles  of  the  retreating  tide  of  life  begin  to  appear 
upon  the  brow  of  another ; the  heart  has  a more  muffled 
beat,  and  the  limbs  feel  less  strong,  the  muscles  are  less 
elastic,  and  what  is  worse  than  all,  the  buoyancy  of  the 
heart  is  not  what  it  was  before.  We  are  changed  ; the 
times  change,  and  in  the  current  we  are  changed  also. 
But  each  minute,  day,  and  year,  as  they  pass,  leave  an 
impression  on  the  mind  or  the  intellect  just  as  truly  as 
on  the  body.  From  infancy  to  maturer  years  intellect 
is  developed,  powerfully  and  unmistakeably  developed  ; 
but  it  does  not  follow  that  during  the  decline  of  life, 
when  the  body  decays,  the  intellect  decays  proportiona- 
bly  also.  On  the  contrary,  you  will  find  in  the  old  man, 
not  indeed  the  same  buoyant  and  soaring  imagination 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


137 


ihvd  was  in  liis  youth,  but  what  is  better,  a ripeness  of 
judgment,  a maturity  of  experience,  and  a capacity  of 
discriminating  and  distinguishing,  altogether  strange  to 
the  season  of  youth. 

I have  long  thought  there  is  a great  deal  of  nonsense 
talked  and  written  in  the  newspapers,  alleging  the  inca- 
pacity of  old  age.  If  I wished  to  have  the  mind  that  one 
could  most  rely  on,  and  most  defer  to  in  the  greatest  crisis, 
it  w^ould  just  be  an  old  man  with  good  health  and  an  ex- 
perienced and  ripened  judgment.  True,  he  could  not  lead 
the  forlorn  hope  as  he  used  to  do ; he  could  not  mix  in  the 
fray  with  all  the  energy  with  which  a young  soldier  wars ; 
but  then  he  compensates  for  the  absence  of  these  by  other 
attributes.  I do  not  believe  that  the  mind  decays  with 
the  body.  But  you  say,  Do  we  not  see  old  men  sometimes 
get  very  stupid  ? I admit  it.  But  what  goes  wrong  ? It 
is  not  the  mind  ; it  is  only  the  machinery  through  which 
it  acts  that  will  not  act  as  it  once  did.  There  is  in  mind 
more  or  less  ceaseless  development.  Who  can  doubt  that 
the  mind  of  an  adult  at  thirty  years  of  age,  and  the  mind 
of  a child  of  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  are  totally 
dissimilar  ? The  chasm  between  the  intelleet  of  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  a baby  on  his  mother’s  knee,  and  the  intellect  of 
Sir  Isaac  Newton  when  it  weighed  in  scales  the  orbs  of 
the  sky,  and  defined  wdth  majestic  precision  the  density, 
the  distance,  and  the  velocity  of  every  star,  is  very  great. 
And  should  the  future  be,  what  we  have  reason  to  expect 
it  w ill  be,  the  ceaseless  expansion  and  development  of  man’s 
intellect,  I can  in  some  degree  anticipate  what  a grand 
home,  what  a blessed  estate,  what  a glorious  reward,  will 
be  the  eternal  heaven  that  is  before  every  true  and  believ-’ 


138 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


ing  Christian.  Our  intellects  change  for  the  better  as  ive 
grow  older.  I am  quite  sure,  to  take  a more  humble 
illustration,  when  we  think  of  what  we  said  and  did  when 
we  were  young,  we  are  ashamed.  However  little  im- 
proved may  be  what  I preach  now,  yet  when  I look  back 
twenty  years  upon  the  notes  of  what  I preached  then,  I am 
amazed  that  any  one  listened  with  patience  to  the  very 
small  talk  I then  uttered.  One  feels  growth  in  one’s  mind ; 
and  it  is  a most  delightful  thought  that  one  is  growing 
wiser  and  more  experienced,  and  more  able  to  be  useful 
and  to  instruct ; instead  of  feeling,  what  would  be  a great 
calamity,  that  one’s  intellect  decays,  and  one’s  mental 
powers  lose  their  elasticity,  and  one’s  stores  of  instruction 
and  reading  become  useless. 

Our  feelings  also  are  affected  by  the  lapse  and  current 
of  years.  Experience  modifies  the  exercise  of  feelings  of 
one  class,  and  resists  the  action  of  others  that  belong  to 
another  class.  Time  has  dried  up  the  springs  of  some 
feelings,  but  he  has  opened  new  springs  and  swelled  the 
currents  of  other  and  of  better  feelings.  Feelings  to 
which  we  are  now  strangers  were  most  familiar  to  us  once ; 
and  feelings  that  we  now  cherish  will  be  very  much  stran- 
gers to  us  by  and  by.  But  above  all  in  importance,  the 
years  as  they  sweep  past  are  affecting  our  spiritual  and 
moral  condition.  Our  moral  and  spiritual  nature  is  in  a 
state  of  constant  development  and  growth.  This  growth 
may  not  always  be  good  : it  may  possibly  be  evil ; but 
growth  there  is  ; stagnation  in  moral  and  spiritual  devel- 
opment I believe  there  never  is,  and  there  never  can  be. 
Every  act  of  liberality,  every  deed  of  goodness,  every 
feeling  and  affection  that  we  cherish,  is  becoming  a habit, 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


ISO 


and  that  habit  is  becoming  a nature ; and  every  one  is 
consolidating  by  the  lapse  of  years  a moral  and  a spiritual 
character  that  will  only  be  developed  more  and  more 
through  endless  ages,  either  in  eternal  misery  or  in  eter- 
nal blessedness.  And  though  it  may  be  very  true  that 
the  influence  is  noiseless  as  the  flight  of  an  angel’s  wing, 
yet  it  is  not  the  less  mighty  on  that  account.  The  cease- 
less falling  of  one  drop  of  water  will  hollow  a stone ; the 
ceaseless  application  of  slight  blows  in  continuous  suc- 
cession will  shake  the  strongest  foundation.  In  the  same 
manner  thoughts  become  Avords,  v/ords  become  acts,  acts 
become  habits,  habits  become  life  ; and  that  life  lasts  and 
endures  for  ever  and  ever.  What  a solemn  thought  then, 
we  are  builders  for  eternity ; and  the  yesterdays,  the  to- 
days, and  the  to-morrows,  are  the  materials  with  which 
we  are  building  up  a superstructure  that  shall  either  glow 
amid  the  splendors  of  unsetting  suns,  or  reflect  the  lurid 
glare  of  that  fire  that  is  not  quenched,  and  of  that 
mingled  day  and  night  which  is  for  ever  and  ever.  Well 
and  justly,  therefore,  has  the  poet  said — 

“ Build  to-day  then  strong  and  stout, 

On  a firm  and  ample  base; 

And  ascending  and  secure 
Shall  to-morrow  find  its  place.” 

The  years  also  alter  our  relations  and  relationships  in 
life.  Let  any  one  look  back  a few  years  ; what  changes 
have  taken  place  ! I v/as  one  day  trying  to  count  the 
students  with  whom  I sat  at  college  on  the  same  bench. 
I found  so  many  dead,  so  many  gone  to  distant  lands,  so 
many  sunk  weary  with  the  march  on  the  road  to  success, 
and  such  changes,  that  when  I review  and  ponder  them 


140 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


all,  I cannot  help  feeling  somewhat  melancholy  and  dis- 
tressed. But  if  you  will  not  look  back  on  a public  field, 
but  take  your  nearer  one — the  friends  of  your  youth, 
where  are  they  ? Echo  can  only  answer,  W-here  are 
they  ? Some  of  them  turned  into  rivals,  others  into  bitter 
foes  ; some  of  their  familiar  faces  passed  into  the  shadoAV 
of  the  grave  ; and  voices  that  once  were  musical  in  your 
ears,  hushed  in  the  silence  of  the  tomb  ! And  if  you  wdll 
go  home  this  day,  and  look  at  your  family  at  the  close  of 
the  year ; the  family  that  meets  to-day  under  the  same 
roof  and  at  the  same  board,  in  a very  few  years,  even  in 
the  case  of  the  youngest  mother,  will  be  all  scattered  ; 
some  dead  and  buried,  some  in  distant  lands,  some  strug- 
gling with  or  succumbing  under  the  waves  they  cannot 
swim  or  wade  through  ; and  so  great  changes  in  a few 
years  will  take  place  that  when  you  visit  the  old  home- 
stead it  will  look  to  you  such  an  altered,  changed  thing, 
that  you  cannot  believe  that  it  once  W'as  home,  or  that 
there  you  spent  many  a merry  Christmas,  and  wished 
many  a happy  new  year.  Such  changes  will  speedily 
occur  ; and  if  nothing  else  does  it,  they  will  constrain  you 
to  detach  your  affections  from  seeking  a home  below,  and 
will  lead  you  to  lift  them  up,  and  seek  where  there  is  the 
true  home — a place  synonymous  with  the  heaven  of  our 
Father. 

The  flight  of  years  will  affect  not  only  your  relation- 
ships. but  very  materially  your  fortunes ; as  they  have 
affected  the  fortunes,  and  the  whole  condition  of  thousands. 
Men  rich  at  the  close  of  one  year,  are  penniless  at  the 
close  of  another.  The  master  of  yesterday  is  the  servant 
of  to-day  ; the  statesman  who  one  year  leads  the  nation  in 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


141 


its  march,  another  year  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  de- 
pressed, and  almost  forgotten.  The  writer  celebrated  to- 
day, is  cast  aside  for  another  to-morrow.  The  soldier 
whose  name  is  synonymous  with  victory,  and  whose  praises 
are  on  the  nation^s  lips,  is  forgotten  too  soon.  Everything 
seems  to  have  a date  and  a time,  an  entrance  and  an  exit ; 
and  all  of  them — oh  ! with  what  impressive  and  thrilling 
eloquence — teach,  Arise,  and  let  us  depart ; this  is  not 
your  rest ; there  remaineth  a rest  for  the  people  of  God. 

Such  is  the  influence  of  the  years  as  they  pass  by  ; such 
the  impressions  they  have  left : and  the  sum  total  is,  that 
more  and  more  they  are  lessening  the  links  and  ties  that 
knit  us  to  this  world.  The  great  question  is,  are  we  mul- 
tiplying the  bonds,  and  bands,  and  ties  that  bind  us  to  a 
better  world  ? Time  clearly  is  detaching  the  world  from 
us,  and  us  from  the  Avorld.  Is  eternity  enlisting  our  sym- 
pathies, our  hopes,  our  thoughts,  and  our  prospects  with 
it  ? 

Having  thus  looked  at  the  year  in  its  individual  influ- 
ence, let  me  now  look  at  it  in  its  social — I might  almost 
say — national  influence.  Look  at  the  sweep  of  past  years. 
What  a year  of  commercial  hurricane  is  one  ! — houses  of 
business,  supposed  to  be  built  upon  the  rock,  have  yielded 
like  straw  huts  to  the  overwhelming  mountain  torrent. 
Merchants  that  started  in  1857,  like  strong  men  ready  to 
run  a race,  have  scarcely  enough  to  maintain  them  decent- 
ly with  bread,  as  far  as  they  can  see,  during  the  remain- 
der of  a life-time  : and,  what  is  worse,  widows  and  orphans, 
that  trusted  their  all  where  they  ought  not  to  have  trusted 
any,  are  deprived  of  the  little  amount  bequeathed  by  a 
husband,  or  the  little  savings  which  they  had  accumulated 


142 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


hy  their  industry  ; and  are  left  dependent  upon  the  charity, 
it  may  be  of  the  uncharitable,  during  the  remainder  of 
their  weary  life.  Battle  fields  have  awful  spectacles  of 
shattered  limbs  : but  there  must  be,  after  a commercial 
hurricane,  broken  hearts — not  so  visible,  but  more  terrible 
and  awful  still.  May  it  not  be,  that  every  such  great  con- 
vulsion has  a meaning  ? I think  it  is  all  very  well  to  say, 
it  w'as  speculation,  over- trading,  want  of  caution.  It  is 
wonderful  how  wise  we  are  after — not  before ; and  how 
prone  we  are  always  to  find  out  causes,  and  excuses,  and 
palliations.  These  secondary  causes  may  be  plausible  ; 
but  I believe  there  are  higher  causes  at  work  that  alone 
explain  all.  Trust  not  in  uncertain  riches.  We  see 
with  what  force  that  single  adjective  comes  up — uncer- 
tain riches.’’  Many  a man  believes  that  epithet  to-day, 
who  laughed  at  it  as  an  exaggerated  hyperbole  lately. 
Do  not  these  things  also  teach  us  another  lesson  ? If 
riches  increase,  wdiich  is  not  sinful ; on  the  contrary,  I 
like  to  see  a man  industrious,  and  getting  rich  by  his  in- 
dustry— but,  if  riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon 
them.  Now,  I will  tell  you  why  : if  you  be  a Christian, 
if  God  see  you  setting  your  heart  upon  any  one  thing 
beneath  Himself,  that  is  the  one  thing  that  God  will  sweep 
away.  And,  therefore,  I warn  every  man,  upon  the  au- 
thority of  God’s  word,  that  whatever  be  the  thing  that  he 
is  setting  his  mind  upon  so  much  that  it  dislodges  God, 
and  displaces  the  homage  that  he  owes  to  Him, — as  sure 
as  any  are  living  Christians,  God  will  smite  the  idol  in 
its  niche,  and  create  in  the  chasm  it  leaves  behind  a thirst 
for  God,  the  living  God.  May  there  not  be  another 
lesson  taught  us  by  these  commercial  convulsions — namely. 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


143 


what  Christ  said  1800  years  ago — Riches  make  to  them- 
selves wings,  and  flee  away?’’  Let  us  mark  well  the 
words  : it  does  not  say  that  you  make  wings  for  them ; 
this  you  could  easily  understand ; but,  by  some  myste- 
rious law  under  the  control  of  God,  riches  that  you  have 
accumulated  and  have  worshipped,  make  to  themselves 
wings,  and  flee  away.  And  may  we  not  also  learn  from 
all  this,  that  the  loss  of  earthly  riches  has  been  to  some 
the  gain  of  riches  that  never  fade? — that  they  who  were 
rich  in  money  yesterday,  are  poor  in  it  to-day,  but  rich  in 
faith  ? And,  at  all  events,  there  is  one  lesson  passing  times 
do  most  deeply  impress  ; and  that  is,  the  old  lesson, — Set 
not  your  afiections  upon  things  that  are  beneath,  but  upon 
things  that  are  above.”  Should  great  losses  dislodge  from 
our  country’s  heart,  that  growing,  miserable,  contemptible 
worship  of  Mammon,  which  was  beginning  to  be  substi- 
tuted for  the  worship  of  the  living  God,  its  painful  disci- 
pline will  be  matter  of  thankfulness  for  ever.  I think 
of  all  pride,  purse  pride  is  the  most  detestable.  I can 
understand  a man  being  proud  of  his  lineage  ; sinful  as 
that  is,  there  is  something  noble  in  it : I can  understand 
a man  being  proud  of  his  learning ; I can  understand  a 
woman  being  proud  of  her  beauty ; sinful  as  it  is,  wrong 
as  it  is,  yet  there  is  something  magnanimous  or  real  in 
these.  But  for  a man  to  be  proud  that  he  has  made 
thousands  by  chicanery,  or  by  cheating,  or,  if  you  like, 
by  honest  industry  : to  be  prou  1 that  he  has  been  able  to 
scrape  together  so  much  trash  that  we  call  gold,  is  a 
detestable  sin  ; and  if  God  has  opened  our  eyes  to  see  its 
meanness  and  its  detestable  nature,  apart  from  its  sin- 


144 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


fulness,  we  will  thank  God  in  after  years  for  the  com- 
mercial earthquake  of  recent  days. 

But  if  we  cast  our  eyes  abroad,  there  have  been,  as  I 
have  often  alluded  to,  yet  more  terrible  scenes.  You 
remember  how  we  all  felt  during  the  Russian  w’ar,  when 
the  brave,  the  strong,  the  wise,  that  could  defy  the  Rus- 
sian foe,  fell  before  pestilence,  and  plague,  and  hunger, 
and  nakedness,  and  cold  ; you  remember  what  an  awful 
impression  it  made  upon  the  country  ; and  what  vows  of 
reformation,  what  great  changes  for  the  better  were  to 
take  place  ; and  men  certainly  felt  solemnized  as  they 
had  never  been  solemnized  before.  The  Russian  war  has 
ceased ; at  least  a lull  has  taken  place  ; we  just  begin 
to  get  as  purse-proud,  as  forgetful,  as  grasping,  as  world- 
ly, as  we  were  before.  And  the  strange  fact  is,  that  v^e 
never  look  at  these  things,  such  is  our  nature,  as  God’s 
judgments  ; I will  not  say  that,  but  as  God’s  chastise- 
ment for  special  sins ; we  are  always  sure  to  select  a 
scapegoat.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  how  man  likes  the 
idea  of  atonement  when  it  suits  his  selfishness  ; ho»7 
little  he  likes  it  in  its  own  grand  and  spiritual  beauty. 
If  anything  goes  wrong,  it  is  some  statesman  ; if  a bat- 
tle is  lost,  it  is  some  commander-in-chief ; all  that,  I be- 
lieve, we  are  not  competent  judges  of ; but  we  are  very 
competent  in  our  opinions  of  ourselves,  and  we  fancy  that 
whoever  is  to  blame  we  are  not ; whereas  it  is  God  wak- 
ing us  to  a sense  of  responsibilities  we  never  felt  before, 
and  teaching  us  at  the  cannon^s  mouth  lessons  we  would 
not  learn  from  the  lips  of  his  consecrated  preachers.  Af- 
ter the  Russian  war  had  ceased,  and  all  its  scenes  had 
passed  away,  a war  ten  times  more  severe,  more  disas- 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


145 


trous.  more  terrible,  without  the  moral  grandeur  of  the 
Russian  war,  because  it  was  a mutiny  of  revolted  soldiers 
and  subjects,  absorbed  the  thoughts  and  anxieties  of  the 
nation.  I am  sure  I do  not  exaggerate  when  I say  there 
is  scarcely  a family  in  England  that  has  not  been  in  some 
way  affected  by  the  scenes  that  transpired  in  India; 
scarcely  a parsonage  in  England — I am  sure  there  is 
scarcely  a manse  in  Scotland — that  has  not  its  dead  on 
Indian  plains  to  weep  over,  and  forebodings  about  the 
living  exposed  to  perils  greater  than  those  encountered  by 
the  dead,  over  which  to  pray,  and  ponder,  and  meditate,  j 
Our  brilliant  and  our  rapid  victories  have  not  been  with- 
out bitter  and  terrible  losses ; and  I have  not  the  least 
doubt  that  the  gloomiest  Christmas  spent  in  England  for 
half  a century,  if  not  for  a whole  one,  was  Friday,  the 
25th  of  December,  1857.  Many  who  were  strong, 
young,  and  hopeful  are  now  numbered  with  the  dead ; 
many  left  behind  who  with  heroism,  and  hope,  and 
courage,  long  struggled  amidst  tremendous  difficulties, 
encountering  terrible  resistance;  some  wounded,  others 
starved,  others  injured  in  health,  so  that  when  they  come 
home  they  will  be  but  the  shattered  wrecks  of  what  they 
once  were.  Nothing  I think  can  lead  one  to  tolerate 
war  except  a deep  sense  that  it  is  an  awful  and  inevitable 
duty.  But  when  we  review  that  Indian  war,  the  cruelties 
inflicted,  the  sufferings  endured,  the  hairbreadth  escapes, 
one  is  constrained  to  feel  there  cannot  be  chance  in  it ; 
it  cannot  be  accident ; it  is  God  teaching  our  country  a les- 
son. Do  not  blame  the  government ; do  not  blame  the  East 
India  Company  ; blame  ourselves,  blame  our  sins,  blame 
our  selfishness,  our  avarice,  our  love  of  wealth,  all  that 

7 


146 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


Tve  have  done  that  we  ought  not  to  have  done,  and  all 
that  we  have  left  undone  that  we  ought  to  have  done. 
But  even  this  sore  calamity  was  not  without  interming- 
ling lights  that  are  of  most  precious  value  to  us.  For  in- 
stance, we  may  see  in  the  Indian  war  that  some  lessons 
have  come  out  that  we  would  not  learn  before,  which  it 
has  most  emphatically  taught  us.  We  have  learnt,  for 
instance,  first  of  all,  that  our  Indian  empire  is  to  be  re- 
tained not  by  the  prestige  of  a grand  name,  nor  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet,  nor  by  the  fear  and  terror  that  we 
can  strike  to  the  hearts  of  a very  susceptible  and  sensi- 
tive race ; the  only  hope  of  India’s  being  continued  as 
an  appanage  of  our  grand  empire  is  the  thorough  Chris- 
tianization of  it  from  its  one  end  to  the  other.  We  re- 
member how  often  we  tried  to  teach  this  at  our  mission- 
ary meetings,  but  it  fell  powerless  and  cold.  It  has  now 
been  taught  in  the  most  impressive  and  unmistakable 
way.  In  Bengal  Christianity  had  no  hold ; the  Brah- 
min was  absolute  in  his  power ; the  Christian  missionary 
dare  not  hint  to  a Sepoy  that  there  was  a Savior,  Christ 
the  Lord.  What  is  the  history  of  Bengal  ? There  the 
revolt  had  its  focus ; from  thence  it  radiated  over  India ; 
and  it  is  the  Bengalese  Sepoys  who  have  murdered 
women,  tossed  infants  on  their  bayonets,  and  left  hun- 
dreds of  women  in  India  at  this  moment,  I am  told,  who 
prefer  (what  an  awful  fact !)  to  be  registered  at  home  as 
dead,  than  to  present  themselves  mutilated,  as  these 
fiends  in  human  shape  have  left  them.  But,  mark  the 
contrast.  Go  to  Madras,  where  Christianity  has  struck 
its  roots  the  deepest,  where  its  light  has  spread  the 
widest,  where  there  are  hundreds,  I mean  in  the  sur- 


A THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 


147 


rounding  districts,  of  Christian  temples,  and  where  mis- 
sions have  been  most  successful ; the  territory  of  Madras 
has  been  comparatively  peaceful.  Is  it  possible  to  es- 
cape the  conviction  that  the  revolt  has  been  great,  cruel, 
and  barbarous,  just  where  Christianity  was  least  known  ? 
and  that  peace  and  loyalty  have  abounded  most,  just 
where  the  seeds  of  Christianity  had  been  most  widely 
scattered,  and  had  grown  up  into  the  largest  and  most 
luxuriant  harvests  ? This  lesson  thus  taught  us,  I hope, 
will  never  be  forgotten.  Another  lesson  has  been  taught 
us — that  education  without  Christianity  may  be  a curse, 
it  never  can  be  a blessing.  Nana  Sahib,  the  instigator 
of  those  cruel  and  barbarous  murders,  was  educated  at  a 
secular  school ; he  never  was  infected  by  the  presence  of 
a Bible,  he  never  had  his  mind  modified  by  a lesson  from 
it;  he  was  educated  at  an  out-and-out  secular  Indian 
school ; he  knows  mathematics,  and  sciences,  and  litera- 
ture, and  politics,  just  as  well  as  we  do.  Education 
without  religion  can  give  you  a Nana  Sahib ; it  is  educa- 
tion, saturated  by  the  word  of  the  living  God,  that  mil 
make  a nation  what  it  has  made  us — a land  of  subjects 
whose  obedience  is  mingled  loyalty  and  love ; presided 
over  by  a Sovereign  whose  mightiest  bulwarks,  and  best 
bayonets  and  defence,  are  the  affections  of  her  people ; a 
land  on  whose  wide  domains  the  sun  never  sets  ; a land, 
the  roll  of  whose  conquering  drum  is  still  the  warning 
to  the  oppressor  that  vengeance  is  at  his  heels,  and  to  the 
oppressed  that  deliverance  is  at  hand. 

As  the  last  lesson,  I would  say.  Redeem  the  time. 
You  cannot  recall  the  past,  you  cannot  retain  the  pres- 
ent; you  may  charge  the  hours  of  the  future  with  new 


148 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


and  intenser  duties  and  sacrifices.  And  also  seek 
first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness;  and 
all  other  things  will  be  added  unto  you.’’  And  finally, 
Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,”  of  goodness,  of 
love,  of  charity,  do  it  with  all  thy  might,  for  there  is 
no  device  nor  work  in  the  grave,  whither  we  are  all 
hasting.” 


LECTURE  XXX. 


THE  heart’s  desire. 

Man  as  we  find  him  is  not  at  home  : he  cannot  domes- 
ticate himself  here.  Dissatisfied,  he  longs  to  go  where 
all  is  perfection  without  alloy.  This  grand  issue  is  com- 
ing on  the  earth. 

For'  in  this  wegr'oan^  earnestly  desiring  to  he  cloth- 
ed upon  with  our  house  which  is  from  heaven  ; if 
so  be  that  being  clothed  we  shall  not  be  found  naked. 

For  we  that  are  in  this  tabernacle  do  groan^  being 
burdened : not  for  that  we  would  be  unclothed.^  but 
clothed  upon.,  that  mortality  might  be  swallowed  up 
of  life. — 2 Corinthians  v.  2 — 4. 

We  at  once  perceive,  from  the  imagery  employed  in  this 
passage,  that  the  soul  is  regarded  as  the  inhabitant,  per- 
fect and  complete  in  all  its  functions  ; and  that  the  body,  ^ 

that  body  which  the  soul  lives  in,  is  likened  to  a gar- 
ment, which  may  be  put  off  without  the  soul  being  scath- 
ed, or  put  on  again  without  the  soul  being  intrinsically 
altered  ; less  a part  of  itself,  more  a clothing  for  its  pro- 
gress and  communication  upon  earth.  If  this  be  so,  then 
death  is  simply  the  putting  off  of  that  outward  garment 
which  is  here  employed  to  describe  the  body,  and  has  no 
(149) 


150 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


more  effect  upon  the  integrity  and  grandeur  of  the  im- 
mortal inhabitant  within  than  my  undressing  at  night 
has  upon  the  integrity  and  perfection  of  the  body  that 
wears  the  clothes  to  defend  it  from  the  cold.  If  this  idea 
be  correct,  then  at  death  we  merely  disrobe;  or  put  off 
the  frail  earthly  garment  that  we  have  long  worn.  It 
may  pine  and  w^aste  by  disease  ; it  may  be  shattered  by 
shell  or  shot  upon  the  field  of  battle ; it  may  be  sunk  into 
the  depths  of  the  desert  sea ; but  all  we  do  at  death  is 
simply  to  disrobe  ourselves  of  that  which  is  not  part  of 
ourselves,  but  the  mere  garment  that  shelters  and  pro- 
tects the  soul,  until  that  soul  is  ready  to  lay  aside  the 
robes  in  which  it  ministered  as  a Levite  in  the  temple 
below,  and  to  ascend  and  minister  where  it  needs  no  such 
robe,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  forever. 
Now  then,  if  this  idea  be  the  correct  one,  that  the  body 
is  the  simple  garment  in  which  the  soul  is  wrapped, 
learn  very  important  lessons,  lessons  that  will  be  comfort- 
ing to  many  that  are  bereaved. 

Man  is  still  man,  whether  clothed  in  fur,  or  purple,  or 
fine  linen,  or  clad  in  miserable  rags.  The  outer  dress 
may  be  elegant,. or  it  may  be  mean  ; it  may  be  rich  or  it 
may  be  the  reverse ; but  the  wearer  is  the  same.  Man 
is  man  in  rags,  or  in  purple  and  fine  linen.  So  the  soul 
is  not  touched  nor  altered  in  its  value,  in  its  intrinsic 
excellence  and  glory,  by  the  weakness  nor  the  frailty  of 
the  body  ; and  still  less  when  the  body  is  put  off  and  laid 
in  the  grave,  to  wait  for  that  day  when  the  roll  of  the 
resurrection  trumpet  shall  penetrate  the  homes  of  the 
living,  and  the  sepulchres  of  the  dead ; and  the  dead 
shall  come  forth,  no  more  arrayed  in  the  frail  and  cling- 


THE  HEART'S  DESIRE. 


151 


ing  garments  of  decay,  but  in  coronation  robes ; the 
bride  having  made  herself  ready  to  enter  with  the  bride- 
groom into  the  palace  of  the  Great  King.  The  existence 
of  the  soul,  therefore,  is  not  bound  up  with  the  existence 
of  the  body ; it  may  be  an  advantage  to  the  soul ; we 
know  it  will  be  so  in  the  future ; it  is  necessary  now  ; 
but  in  the  future,  after  the  resurrection,  it  will  not  oTaly 
be  necessary,  but  useful  and  ornamental.  But  we  can 
conceive,  what  we  are  sure  of  from  the  assertion  of  Scrip- 
ture, that  the  soul  can  exitt  separate  from  the  body ; 
that  it  is  not  mutilated  in  its  functions,  or  in  its  prerog- 
atives, or  in  its  powers,  by  the  laying  down  of  the  body. 
The  house  is  not  the  inhabitant,  the  clothing  is  not  the 
wearer,  the  body  is  not  the  man ; it  is  merely  an  append- 
age, something  added  to  the  man  ; and  soul  and  body  may 
be  disintegrated  and  divorced,  and  yet  life  not  destroyed  ; 
their  connection  is  a contingency,  not  an  absolute  and  in- 
evitable necessity.  It  is  very  true,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
of  this,  that  our  present  existence  is  such  that  we  cannot 
feel  the  possibility  of  the  soul  existing  separate  from  the 
body  ; they  are  so  linked  together,  and  the  po'wers  of  the 
one  so  interpenetrate  the  functions  of  the  other,  that  we 
cannot  from  present  experience  realize  the  possibility  of 
the  soul  existing  separate  from  the  body.  And  yet  there 
are  moments  when  we  can  almost  gather  an  idea  of  the 
possibility.  We  are  immersed  in  thought ; w^e  are  busy 
examining  or  working  out,  a profound,  a deep,  an  abstract 
problem.  How  often — I appeal  to  every  thinker — when 
seated  in  your  study,  has  the  clock  struck,  have  bells 
chimed,  servants  gone  out  and  come  in ; and  yet  you  have 
heard  nothing,  and  recollect  nothing,  though  you  may 


152 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


have  been  seated  three  or  four  hours : all  sorts  of  noises, 
from  children  up  to  visitors,  have  been  going  on,  and  yet 
you  are  utterly  unconscious  of  any.  What  does  that 
show  ? That  the  soul  needs  to  disentangle  itself  from  its 
earthly  tenement  in  order  to  be  capable  of  its  noblest  ef- 
forts ; and  that  there  are  moments  when  the  soul  seems 
not  to  lay  aside,  but  in  some  degree  to  disburden  itself  of 
its  earthly  clothing,  in  order  to  rise  to  its  loftiest  flights, 
and  think  most  deeply,  feel  most  keenly,  and  act  in  all 
it  does  with  greatest  power.  Now  what  is  all  this  ? A 
sort  of  dim  type  and  prefiguration  of  what  we  are  when 
absent  from  the  body,  but,  in  the  language  of  the  apostle, 
present  with  the  Lord. 

I proceed  to  bring  these  ideas  before  you,  under  a 
three-fold  shape.  First,  let  us  consider  man  as  clothed 
upon — that  is,  as  having  a body  in  this  present  life ; 
secondly,  let  us  think  of  man  as  unclothed,  when  he  is 
absent  from  the  body,  and  present  with  the  Lord ; and 
then  let  us,  in  the  next  place,  view  man  in  his  last  and 
perfect  state,  when  he  shall  be  reclothed  with  his  resur- 
rection and  his  glorified  body.  The  three  great  divisions, 
then,  of  man’s  history  are, — man  clothed  upon,  man  un- 
clothed, and  man  reclothed  with  his  robes  of  glory  and  of 
beauty.  I have  said  the  body  is  the  garment  of  the  soul : 
and  you  will  mark  another  thought — the  body  has  no  life 
in  itself,  as  far  as  we  know ; its  life  is  derived  from  its 
connection  with  the  soul.  In  man,  at  least,  the  moment 
that  the  soul  goes,  that  moment  the  body  ceases  to  live, 
but  because  the  body  ceases  to  live,  it  does  not  follow — 
and  we  are  sure  it  does  not  follow — that  the  soul  also 
ceases  to  live.  In  fact,  the  soul  is  quite  independent  of. 


THE  HEAKT’S  DESIKE. 


153 


and  distinct  from  the  body  ; and  indicates  it  is  so  in  many 
things.  The  brain  is  not  the  soul ; ho^Y  absurd  in  any 
one  to  maintain  that  man’s  soul  is  what  is  called  the 
pineal  gland  ; that  is,  a part  of  the  brain,  which  has  been 
analyzed  by  chemists,  and  shown  to  be  made  up  of  phos- 
phate of  lime  ! Now  phosphate  of  lime  could  not  write 
Shakspeare’s  dramas  : phosphate  of  lime  could  not  com- 
pose Milton’s  Paradise  Lost.  And  the  same  phosphate 
of  lime  is  found  in  animals ; and  yet  they  do  not  write, 
nor  think,  nor  indicate  the  intellectual  powers  that  man 
has.  The  truth  is,  the  brain  is  to  the  soul  precisely  what 
the  hand  is  to  the  body ; that  is  all.  And  when  the  brain 
is  hurt,  you  say.  Is  not  the  mind — identifying  the  mind 
Avith  the  soul — affected  ? I answer.  No  ; I do  not  believe 
it : some  may  doubt  the  thought,  but  I can  see  clearly  its 
foundation,  that  in  the  most  thorough  lunatic  the  soul 
retains  its  integrity,  as  completely  as  in  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton or  John  Locke.  You  ask.  Then  why  is  it  that  every- 
thing is  wrong  ? that  he  cannot  exhibit  the  ideas,  or  utter 
the  Avords,  or  do  the  actions  of  a rational  and  intelligent 
man  ? I ansAver,  The  defect  is  not  in  the  soul,  but  in 
the  instrument  through  and  Avith  Avhich  it  Avorks.  You 
see  the  first  musician  of  the  age  placed  at  a piano  or  at 
a harp  ; he  tries  to  play,  but  there  is  nothing  but  discord. 
Why  ? Not  that  the  minstrel’s  fingers  liaA^e  lost  their 
cunning,  but  that  the  instrument  through  which  he  acts 
is  out  of  tune.  So  in  the  case  of  the  lunatic ; it  is  not 
the  soul  AAuthin  that  has  lost  its  mighty  functions,  but  it 
is  the  instrument  through  A\Lich  it  makes  music  in  the 
ear  of  a listening  world  that  will  not  respond,  and  exe- 
cute its  high  behests.  The  brain  influences  the  nerA^e, 
7* 


154 


THE  GREAT  TiUBULATIGE. 


the  nerve  influences  the  muscle  ; but  all  this  is  but  the 
complicated  machinery  through  which  the  soul  acts  on 
this  world.  In  a higher  sphere,  the  machinery  may  be 
dissolved,  the  garment  thrown  off,  and  the  soul  will  then 
and  there  be  able  to  act  without  a medium  of  matter  or 
of  flesh  at  all.  While  this  is  true,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that,  in  our  present  state,  the  body,  though  an  instrument, 
does  color  all  the  decisions,  the  feelings,  the  thoughts,  the 
actions  of  the  soul.  In  the  resurrection  state,  the  body 
Avill  be  the  exact  exponent  of  inner  thought,  inner  desire, 
inner  feeling ; because  the  body  then  will  be  perfect : but 
in  our  present  state,  the  body  is  so  far  the  exponent  of 
what  the  mind  thinks,  what  the  will  resolves,  ^vhat  the 
heart  feels ; but  then,  sin  having  crept  into  this  outer 
garment  of  clay — the  moth  having  fretted  and  injured 
this  exquisitely  woven  texture — you  find  now  that  the 
body  gives  its  coloring  to  your  thoughts  : in  the  language 
of  Saint  Paul,  you  find  a law  in  the  members  warring 
against,  instead  of  carrying  out  the  law  of  the  mind ; so 
that  an  apostle,  under  a deep  sense  of  that  disastrous  in- 
fluence, exclaimed  in  his  agony,  Wretched  man  that  I 
am  ! who  shall  deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death 
Now,  in  the  resurrection  state,  as  I shall  show,  the  body 
will  be  the  exact  expression  of  what  is  in  the  mind,  the 
.heart,  and  the  will;  and  in  this  world  it  would  be  so, 
were  it  not  that  the  body  is  crippled,  diseased,  defiled  : 
but  when  all  this  defilement  shall  be  removed — A^hen  all  its 
imperfections  shall  be  taken  away — when  the  dim  mists 
that  now  cover  the  eye  shall  be  dissolved — when  the  grey 
hairs  shall  again  be  restored  to  their  original  color — when 
strength,  and  vigor,  and  beauty,  and  immortality  shall 


TPIE  heart's  desire. 


155 


all  be  together  the  resplendent  prerogatives  of  the  resus- 
citated raiment;  then  man’s  mind  will  find  a meet  chan- 
nel for  its  expressions,  and  we  shall  then  think  no  more, 
nor  think  any  more  through  a glass  darkly,  but  face  to  face. 

So  much  for  our  first  condition — clothed  upon.”  Let 
me  now  look  at  the  second — unclothed.  Now  this  con- 
dition, unclothed,  comes — who  can  possibly  doubt  or  deny 
it — nearer  and  nearer  every  day.  Every  ache  that  you 
feel,  every  feebleness  of  which  you  are  conscious,  all  show 
that  the  vital  force  is  being  exhausted  by  wear  and  tear ; 
and  that  the  tide  of  life  is  ebbing  from  the  shores  of  the 
senses  on  which  it  has  so  long,  and  so  divinely  beaten. 
Disease  touches  the  springs  of  one  ; old  age  Avears  out  the 
vigor  and  exhausts  the  energy  of  another ; and  by-and-by 
we  drop  the  garment  no  longer  fit  for  us  to  Avear,  and  we 
do  not  folloAY  it,  but  leave  it  in  the  grave,  and  ascend  to 
the  presence  of  our  Father  and  Christ’s  Father,  of  our 
God  and  Christ’s  God.  This  idea  then  shoAVS,  in  the  sec- 
ond place,  that  when  a Christian  dies  he  merely  takes  off 
his  garment.  When  you  lie  down  at  night  to  sleep,  and 
undress,  you  do  not  leave  Avith  your  dress  any  portion  of 
the  body  ; the  body  retains  its  perfection  and  integrity. 
And  when  you  lay  doAvn  your  dress  in  the  last  Avardrobe 
of  all,  the  grave,  the  soul  does  not  go  Avith  the  body,  but 
leaves  it  there  in  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  and  goes  unclothed  into  the  presence  of  Him  Avho 
is  a Spirit,  and  who  is  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
Hence,  those  who  we  say  in  human  language  die,  merely 
throw  off  the  outer  robe  in  Avhich  they  haA^e  ministered  in 
the  world ; they  lay  aside  not  life,  but  its  restraints ; they 
do  not  cease  to  be,  they  only  cease  from  being  seen  ; they 


156 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


do  not  leave  life,  they  only  leave  us ; they  retain  con- 
science, memory,  with  all  its  sweet  and  its  hallowed  recol- 
lections, sensibility,  intellect,  thought ; they  may  see  iis, 
though  we  cannot  see  them ; we  are  said  to  be  surrounded 
with  a great  cloud  of  vfitnesses,  and  that  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses are  said  to  be  the  spectators  of  the  race ; and  there 
is  in  this  one  incentive  to  wdiatsoever  things  are  pare, 
and  just,  and  lovely,  that  not  only  love  to  Him  that  has 
redeemed  us,  but  the  recollection  of  those  that  have  left 
us,  should  stimulate  our  hearts  to  run  the  race  set  before 
us  with  patience,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  the 
finisher  of  our  fixith.  Of  those  then  that  have  laid  the 
garment  of  the  body  in  the  grave,  these  are  the  thoughts 
and  the  only  descriptions  we  need.  ^‘Absent  from  the 
body,  present  wnth  the  Lord.’^  I desire,”  says  Paul, 
to  depart,  and  be  with  Christ.”  No  purgatorial  tor- 
ment between ; no  insensibility,  as  some  are  trying  to 
show,  between  ; but  the  instant  the  garment  is  laid  in  the 
grave,  that  instant  the  w^earer  has  entered  into  the  con- 
scious glory  of  his  blessed  Lord.  And  this  very  thought 
should  teach  us  that  it  is  not  so  terrible  a thing  after  all 
to  die.  True,  we  have  worn  the  robe  long  that  has  well 
fitted  us,  and  we  should  like  to  wear  it  still,  if  it  will 
only  hang  together ; true,  we  have  lived  in  a house, 
every  nook,  and  corner,  and  room  of  which  we  are  fami- 
liar with,  and  we  would  like  to  live  in  it  still;  but  the 
rains  enter  here,  and  the  winds  blow  in  there,  and  the 
w^alls  are  decaying  elsewhere;  and  we  must  leave  i , 
whether  we  like  it  or  not.  And  so  when  we  die,  it 
is  simply  the  last  time  we  undress  upon  earth,  that  is 
all ; and  the  indestructible  thought  goes  with  me,  almost 


TRE  heart's  L-E3IRE. 


157 


like  a note  of  the  resurrection  voice,  that  I do  not  suffer, 
I do  not  become  insensible,  I do  not  go  down  to  the  grave ; 
on  the  contrary,  I am  more  conscious  of  my  powers,  feel 
loftier  and  grander  capabilities  than  ever ; and  when  I 
have  laid  down  the  garment  of  the  body,  I have  but  laid 
down  the  limits  and  restrictions  on  my  actions,  and  shall 
never  feel  so  free  as  when  I am  unclothed  upon,  and  death 
is  swallowed  up  of  life. 

This  leads  me,  therefore,  in  the  third  place,  to  notice 
the  fact  that  one  day,  a day  tlie  distance  or  the  "nearness 
of  which  no  arithmetic  of' ours  can  calculate,  we  shall  be 
reclothed.  We  are  here  clothed,  but  with  bodies  that  sin 
has  defiled,  and  weakened,  and  rendered  imperfect  vehi- 
cles of  our  volition  ; we  are,  till  the  resurrection,  uncloth- 
ed ; that  is  to  say,  we  are  present  with  Christ,  but  we 
have  no  body ; but  when  the  resurrection  comes,  then  we 
are  told  here,  in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  we  shall  be 
clothed  upon.  What  a glorious  thought  is  that  ! we 
leave  the  frail,  tainted  garment  upon  earth,  every  thread 
of  which  is  tinged  with  sin ; we  leave  it  in  the  grave, 
where  it  lies  the  pledge  and  the  prophecy  that  we  shall 
return  with  Christ,  and  resume  it,  not  another,  but  a 
new  body ; this  mortal  having  put  on  immortality.  It 
matters  not  where  the  body  is  deposited,  for  every  atom 
of  its  dust  is  in  the  keeping  of  the  Son  of  God  ; whether 
it  lie  under  a marble  mausoleum,  or  beneath  a monument 
of  bronze,  or  in  the  depths  of  the  largest  Pyramid,  or  be 
‘ sunk  in  the  desert  sea,  the  grave  of  empires  and  of  indi- 
viduals ; or  if  it  be  shattered,  and  torn,  and  buried  wliere 
it  fell  upon  the  battle-field,  it  matters  not ; every  atom 
is  in  the  kee,  ing  of  Christ ; as  closely  watched,  as  thor- 


158 


THE  GHEAT  TRIBULATION. 


oiighly  taken  care  of,  as  if  it  were  already  glorified,  and 
amid  the  splendors  and  the  glories  of  the  beatific  vision. 

This  very  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality;  this  very 
corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruptibility,’’  The  apostle’s 
reasoning  is  most  remarkable  ; he  was  himself,  as  every- 
body knows,  a diminutive  and  a deformed  man  ; and  when 
he  uttered  these  Avords — for  he  preached  them  as  well  as 
wrote  them — he  laid  his  hand  upon  his  breast,  so  unpro- 
phetic  of  aught  that  Avas  grand,  and  he  said,  This  very 
mortal  shall  put  on  immortality;  this  very  corruptible 
shall  put  on  incorruptibility,  and  death  shall  be  SAvalloAved 
up  in  victory ; it  is  soAvn  in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in 
incorruption ; it  is  sown  a natural  body,  it  is  raised  a 
spiritual  body  ;”  not  a spirit,  but  a spiritual  body.  And 
therefore  Ave  see  the  resurrection  is  not  the  elimination 
from  the  great  mass  of  the  earth  of  a body  of  some  sort 
for  each  ; it  is  not  the  extraction  of  indefinite  humanity 
for  each  individual  soul ; but  it  is  the  resurrection  of  that 
very  body  that  you  laid  in  the  grave ; and  its  reinvest- 
ment with  a glory,  a perfection,  and  a beautjT'j  Avhich 
Adam  and  Eve,  when  they  came  forth  from  the  plastic 
hands  of  God,  never  realized.  So  real  is  this,  that  there 
is  not  one  feature  that  lies  hidden  in  the  shadoAV  of  death 
that  shall  not  come  out,  and  be  reproduced  in  the  living 
countenance  in  all  its  perfection  at  the  resurrection  morn  ; 
there  is  not  one  tone  that  has  been  like  music  beneath 
your  roof  tree,  that  peculiar  tone  in  each  man’s  voice  by 
Avhich  I can  distinguish  indiAnduals  better  than  by  tlie 
features  that  I look  on,  that  shall  not  be  resuscitated, 
only  in  more  musical  and  beautiful  reverberations;  there 
shall  be  nothing  in  those  you  call  dead  peculiar  to  them  as 


THE  HEART  S DESIRE. 


159 


individuals,  constituting  what  we  call  their  idiosyncrasy, 
that  shall  not  be  resuscitated,  purified,  beautified,  glori- 
fied ; so  that  the  mother  shall  know  her  infant  then 
better  than  she  knew  it  on  earth,  and  the  sister  shall 
know  her  sister,  and  the  father  shall  know  his  child,  and 
the  child  shall  know  his  father,  far  more  perfectly  than 
before.  There  is  something  wTong  in  our  present  state, 
that  prevents  the  countenance  from  being  the  full  expres- 
sion of  what  is  going  on  within.  I have  noticed,  as  I 
have  gazed  on  the  face  of  the  dead,  that  five  or  six  or 
twelve  hours  after  death  the  features  resume  a calm  and 
composure  that  tempts  the  nearest  and  the  dearest  to  say. 
He  is  more  like  himself  than  he  ever  was  before.” 
What  is  that  ? The  battle  is  finished,  the  struggle  is 
done  ; the  conflict  between  an  imperfect  body  that  imper- 
fectly reflects  the  volitions  of  the  mind,  and  the  mind 
ever  anxious  to  speak  out  its  true  thoughts,  is  ended  ; 
and  it  drops  into  that  soft  and  beautiful  repose  of  victory 
that  is  a dim  prefiguration  of  that  day  when  it  shall  rise 
in  unknown  beauty  and  perfection,  and  be  the  bright 
clothing  for  the  immortal  and  the  glorified  soul. 

This  thought  is  so  precious  in  the  mind  of  the  apostle, 
that  throughout  the  whole  New  Testament  the  Christian 
is  represented  as  longing  for  his  resurrection.  ‘‘Not,” 
he  says,  “ that  we  would  be  unclothed,  but  clothed 
upon ;”  not  that  w^e  have  any  pleasure  in  dying ; a person 
can  have  no  pleasure  in  feeling  a prick  in  his  finger,  a 
sting  in  his  hand  ; and  so  death  is  pain  ; death  is  unnatu- 
ral ; it  is  superinduced  by  sin.  And  therefore  the  apostle 
says,  “ Not  that  we  would  be  unclothed  upon;”  but  we 
are  willing  to  go  through  the  painful  process,  for  the  sake 


160 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


of  the  splendid  glory  that  shall  be  revealed ; we.  are 
willing  to  wade  the  deep,  cold,  and  chilling  stream  for 
the  sake  of  the  sweet  sunshine  that  lies  upon  the  moun- 
tain beyond  ; we  are  willing  to  be  unclothed,  that  we  may 
get  rid  of  this  impediment  to  our  best  and  holiest  purpo- 
ses ; and  that  we  may  be  clothed  upon  with  that  glorious 
exponent  of  all  we  think  and  feel,  which  will  be  perfect. 
And,  hence,  throughout  the  New  Testament,  we  read 
that  God’s  people  groan  within  themselves,  waiting  for 
the  redemption  of  the  body — not  the  creation  of  a body — 
but  the  redemption  of  the  body. 

From  these  three  facts,  man  clothed  in  this  mortal  life, 
as  he  is ; secondly,  man  unclothed,  when  he  leaves  it,  and 
enters  into  the  presence  of  God  ; and  thirdly,  man  re- 
clothed upon,  Ave  gather  some  useful  and  comforting  les- 
sons. First,  what  you  intrust  to  the  graA^e  is  not  your 
father,  nor  your  mother,  nor  your  sister,  nor  your  son ; 
you  intrust  to  its  keeping  only  the  no  longer  useful  gar- 
ment that  your  son,  your  daughter,  your  sister,  your 
mother,  your  father,  have  left  behind  them.  The  graA^e 
has  not  them  in  its  keeping  ; it  has  only  this  garment 
Avhich  they  have  cast  away,  to  wait  in  heaven  for  that 
better  and  more  beautiful  apparel  Avhich  Christ,  the  re- 
surrection and  the  life  will  provide.  In  the  second  place, 
those  Ave  call  dead  are  really  and  truly  more  alive,  if  I 
may  so  speak,  than  we.  The  Christian  that  we  call  dead, 
truly  and  nobly  lives.  Then  what  is  the  change  that 
takes  place  ? Our  dead  may  at  this  moment  be  nearer 
us  than  our  friends  across  the  Tweed,  or  across  the  Chan- 
nel, or  in  India,  or  in  America ; they  may  be  nearer  to 
us  than  our  next-door  neighbors.  But  Avhat  is  the  reason 


THE  heart’s  desire. 


161 


that  we  cannot  communicate  with  them  ? Two  friends 
are  corresponding  between  different  lands ; some  mis- 
chievous person,  or  some  accident  snaps  the  working  wire ; 
there  is  the  machinery  at  the  one  end,  there  is  the  ma- 
chinery at  the  other  ; there  are  the  waiting  friends,  but 
there  is  no  communication.  Why  ? The  medium  of  the 
communication  has  been  interrupted,  that  is  all ; and  the 
minute  that  it  is  restored,  the  communication  that  was  sus- 
pended is  restored  also.  Well,  the  difference  bet  wen  our 
dead  and  us  is  just  this  : we  cannot  now  speak  to  them, 
and  they  cannot  speak  to  us ; we  cannot  communicate  with 
them — Why  ? Because  the  body  is  essential  to  commun- 
ion between  spirit  and  spirit  in  this  present  state  of  life. 
All  that  has  been  interrupted  is  the  medium  of  commu- 
nication. But  your  dead  son,  your  dead  sister,  lives  as 
truly  as  you  do ; only  the  body,  that  is  necessary  in  our 
present  condition  as  a medium  of  communication,  has 
been  dissolved  and  laid  in  the  grave ; and,  therefore, 
communion  cannot  be  maintained ; sweet  words  of  friend- 
ship cannot  be  reciprocated ; kind  looks  of  welcome  can- 
not be  transmitted  ; you  must  wait  till  both  are  reclothed 
upon  with  that  body  that  is  from  heaven.  How  injurious 
is  it  in  this  life  to  dwell  only  upon  what  we  see  and  what 
we  hear  ! You  do  not  estimate  a friend’s  excellence  by 
the  richness  of  the  clothes  she  wears,  or  the  jewels  by 
which  she  is  adorned ; these  are  not  the  person.  And 
so  you  must  not  estimate  a friend,  or  those  with  whom 
you  are  associated  in  life,  by  the  beauty  or  the  perfection 
of  the  material  garment  that  they  wear.  There  is  attrac- 
tion in  beauty  ; there  must  be  whilst  sense  and  sight  gaze 
upon  these  things ; but  the  true  Christian  must  look  be- 


162 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


yond  or  penetrate  these,  and  see  an  adorning  far  more 
beautiful  than  gold,  and  silver,  and  pearls,  and  precious 
stones ; namely,  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  which  is 
not  corruptible ; even  the  ornament  of  a meek  and  quiet 
spirit,  which,  in  the  sight  of  God,  is  of  great  price.  Su- 
preme devotion  to  what  relates  to  the  body,  ministers  to 
and  gratifies  its  tastes,  should  never  be  the  dominant 
thought  of  man.  In  other  words,  we  must  think  what  we 
shall  eat  and  what  we  shall  drink ; but  the  sin  is  in  think- 
ing with  too  absorbing  a thought  what  we  shall  eat  and 
what  we  shall  drink.  We  must  think,  and  we  must  pre- 
meditate wherewithal  we  shall  be  clothed  ; but  the  sin  lies 
in  thinking  too  much  about  it.  And  hence  an  enlightened 
man  looks  down  with  contemptuous  pity  upon  those  who 
seem  to  regard  their  raiment  as  their  chief  ornament ; and 
whose  only  worth  seems  to  be  that  of  the  cinnamon  tree, 
the  excellence  of  which  is  in  the  bark,  not  in  the  wood  or 
fruit ; and  whose  personality  seems  to  be  absorbed  in  what 
they  stand  upright  in.  But  if  you  look  down  with  con- 
temptuous pity  upon  such,  it  is  only  one  stage  higher,  if 
indeed  it  be  higher,  if  the  whole  of  your  thought  is  ab- 
sorbed about  what  shall  adorn  the  body,  what  shall  min- 
ister to  its  tastes.  When  all  these  things,  which  are 
necessary  in  their  place,  are  made  predominant  and  ab- 
sorbing, then  man  falls  from  his  grandeur  as  an  immortal, 
and  sinks  down  to  the  level  of  the  very  brutes  that  perish. 
Do  we  not  learn  from  all  this  the  vast  importance  of 
seeking  to  adorn  the  soul  ? I do  not  believe  what  is 
called  physical  plainness  of  face ; let  there  be  an  illu- 
minated mind,  let  there  be  a meek,  gentle,  holy  heart ; 
let  there  be  contentment  within  ; and  the  countenance 


THE  IIEAHT’S  desire. 


163 


'vvill  be  irradiated  with  a beauty  that  no  arrangement  of 
flesh  and  blood  can  possibly  communicate.  Let  me  remind 
you,  all  you  lay  out  upon  the  body  is  a bad  investment ; 
it  must  all  be  consigned  to  the  worm  and  the  grave.  Not 
one  atom  of  what  you  lay  out  in  pampering  its  appetites, 
in  ministering  to  its  tastes,  in  clothing  and  beautifying  it 
— not  one  particle  of  that  will  ever  be  raised  again  at  the 
resurrection  day.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  what  you  lay  out 
upon  the  soul — if  I speak  to  merchants  I touch  a chord 
that  must  vibrate  in  your  hearts — what  you  lay  out  upon 
the  soul  is  a thoroughly  sure,  ever  increasing,  ever  growl- 
ing investment ; all  that  you  have  shed  upon  it  of  beauty, 
all  that  you  have  trained  in  it  of  excellence ; all  that 
you  have  added  to  that  soul  of  embellishment ; every 
holy  bias  you  have  given  it ; every  holy  affection  you  have 
kindled  in  it,  will  all  appear  again  in  perfection.  Oh  ! 
miserable  men,  who  are  investing  their  all  in  the  flesh 
that  must  be  laid  aside  in  the  grave  ; and  investing 
nothing,  where  investment  is  eternal,  in  that  soul  that 
liveth  for  ever  and  ever.  What  shall  it  profit  a man  if 
he  gain’’ — which  is  not  certain — ‘Hhe  whole  world,  and 
lose  his  own  soul  ?”  These  thoughts  mitigate,  in  the  case 
of  mourners,  all  the  painful  thoughts  that  they  often  feel 
about  the  grave.  The  heart  of  the  weeper  longs  to  know 
where  and  what  their  departed  are.  They  know  the  fact 
that  they  live  ; they  do  not  know  how  they  live.  And  w hat 
a picture  gallery  is  the  memory  of  many  a Christian  upon 
earth,  stored  with  the  images  of  them  that  have  gone — 
images  that  they  value  more  than  all  the  master-pieces  of 
Europe — but,  blessed  thought,  images  in  the  memory  that 
are  prophets  of  the  restoration  of  their  holy  and  beloved 


164 


THE  GKEAT  TEIBULATIOH. 


originals.  What  therefore  we  know  about  those  that  are 
gone  is  this — that,  at  least,  they  are  happy,  in  glory,  safe 
in  Christ  here ; they  are  with  Christ,  which  is  perfect 
happiness  in  heaven.  And  how  delightful  then  that  the 
seeds  we  have  cast  into  the  earth  shall  grow  again ; that 
the  voices  whose  tones  linger  in  our  ears  shall  be  heard 
again,  and  that  every  atom  of  dust  shall  come  forth  the 
instant  that  Christ’s  voice  penetrates  the  recesses  of  the 
grave,  ‘‘Arise,  ye  dead,  and  come  to  judgment!”  All 
that  pain  has  wrestled  with,  all  that  disease  has  disfigured, 
all  that  decay  has  transmuted,  shall  emerge  again  in 
beauty  and  perfection.  Death  has  gleaned  the  treasure, 
transplanted  the  flower,  reaped  the  wheat ; but  not  one 
portion  of  the  treasure  shall  be  lost,  not  one  flower  that 
death  has  laid  in  the  grave  shall  be  withered  or  faded ; 
not  one  thing  you  call  your  own  but  shall  appear  again. 
Happ}?'  thought,  blessed  expectancy  for  the  people  of  God  ! 
Earth’s  palaces  part  with  their  glory  every  day ; earth’s 
riches  take  wings  and  flee  away ; but  all  the  good  that  we 
do,  still  more  all  the  good  that,  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Spirit,  we  accumulate  within — faith,  patience,  gentleness, 
meekness,  charity,  love,  hope — shall  all  be  resuscitated ; 
and  once  clothed  upon  on  earth,  weeping  because  of  its 
imperfections  ; unclothed  upon  in  heaven,  and  waiting  and 
hoping  for  the  resurrection  day ; we  shall  be  reclothed  again 
in  that  glorious  garment  which  shall  never  be  laid  aside, 
but  worn  as  a trophy  of  what  Christ  has  purchased,  and 
what  his  word  has  promised — the  meet  companion  of  a 
holy,  a happy,  and  a glorified  soul. 

Let  us  then  be  less  concerned  about  the  cares  of  time  ; 
more  deeply  and  solemnly  ponder  the  realities  of  a world 


THE  HEART  S DESIRE. 


165 


to  come.  Day  by  day,  one  after  another  is  dropping  into 
the  tomb  ; whose  turn  will  it  be  next  ? What  is  it  that 
keeps  ever  beating  that  thing  we  call  the  heart  ? I have 
often  told  you  it  cannot  be  explained  except  by  this  ; God 
gives  it  its  every  pulse ; God’s  finger  keeps  it  going. 
When  He  shall  bid  it  stop,  when  He  shall  Avithdraw  his 
touch.  He  only  knows ; but  this  lesson  is  ever  for  us. 
Be  ye  ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the 
Master  cometh.” 


LECTURE  XXXL 


THE  FIEST  RESURRECTION. 

If  by  any  means  I might  attain  unto  the  resurrection 
of  the  deadP — Phillippians  iii.  11. 

Paul  states  in  the  previous  part  of  the  chapter,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  great  distinctions  he  enjoyed  as  a Jew  : — 

Circumcised  the  eighth  day  f and  therefore  no  ceremony 
was  wanting;  ^‘of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,’’ — the  noblest 
of  the  twelve  ; an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,” — without  the 
least  admixture  of  Gentile  blood ; as  touching  the  law,” 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  dignified  sects,  a Pharisee.” 
As  to  conduct,  it  was  perfectly  consistent  with  these  proud 
pretensions.  My  zeal  was  displayed  in  persecuting  the 
detested  Christians ; and  as  to  the  righteousness  which 
has  come  from  fasting,  paying  tithes,  observing  the  feasts, 
the  rubric,  and  the  rituals  of  the  law, — in  that  respect, 
I was  perfectly  blameless.  But  how  altered!  ^^What 
things  were  gain  to  me,”  those  things  I thought  to  be 
aids  and  impulses  to  my  course  to  heaven ; those  things 
w^hich  I thought  would  weigh  so  heavily  in  the  scale  in 
my  favor,  I have  now  learned  by  the  teaching  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  count — what  Paul  counted  the  cargo 
in  his  vessel  when  it  tvas  tossed  in  the  storm — to  be  loss ; 
so  that  I fling  all  overboard,  and  regard  it  as  truly  worth- 
less in  comparison  of  the  excellency  of  Christ  Jesus  my 
Lord. 


(166) 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


167 


This  conclusion,  he  says,  is  not  a rash  one,  rashly  taken 
up  to  be  rashly  laid  down;  for  I have  experience  of  the 
cross,  I have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,’’ — honor, 
rank,  dignity,  prospect,  preferment — I have  suffered  the 
loss  of  all.  Do  I regret  it?  Just  the  reverse.  In- 
stead of  wishing  I had  never  made  the  exchange,  I re- 
joice in  it.  Did  you  ever  hear  any  man  regret  that 
he  had  sacrificed  that  which  he  loved  most  in  order  that 
he  might  love,  and  know,  and  obey  the  Savior,  and  be 
found  in  Him,” — as  a branch  is  in  the  vine,  as  a living 
member  is  in  the  body  ? Not  having  mine  own  right- 
eousness,” whether  it  be  the  righteousness  that  preceded 
his  conversion,  in  w^hich  he  was  blameless,  or  the  right- 
eousness which  succeeded  his  conversion,  in  his  sanctifi- 
cation and  conformity  to  God’s  law ; not  having  that 
— it  is  what  I cannot  trust  in — which  is  of  the  law ; 
but  that  righteousness  w^hich  is  through  the  faith  of 
Christ,” — a righteousness  not  produced  by  me,  but  re- 
ceived by  me  ; a righteousness  perfect  on  its  reception, 
incapable  of  increase,  and  proof  against  decrease ; the 
righteousness  wliich  is  of  God  by  faith  : that  I may  know 
Him,” — as  if  his  past  knoAvledge  of  Him  was  but  the 
twilight  of  a brighter  knowledge  that  was  to  come.  A 
Christian’s  progress  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  is  end- 
less; and  the  powder  of  his  resurrection,  and  even  the 
fellowship  of  his  sufferings,”  I am  willing  to  take  part  in 
all  respects.  In  short,  I am  willing  to  be  conformed  to 
his  death,  to  be  crucified,  if  it  be  for  his  glory,  and  for 
the  good  of  his  people.  And  then  he  adds,  ‘‘If  by  any 
means” — any  amount  of  suffering,  any  amount  of  trial, 


168 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


any  amount  of  toil — I might  attain  unto  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead.’’ 

Let  me  notice  the  three  great  resurrections, — first,  the 
resurrection  of  Christ;  next,  the  resurrection  of  his“-' 
people ; and  thirdly,  the  peculiar  and  emphatic  resurrec- 
tion which  Paul  labored  that  he  might  attain  to : and 
I should  just  like  to  add  how  large  a portion  of  Scrip- 
ture the  resurrection  of  Christ  occupies,  as  well  as  our 
own. 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  was  foretold  by  the  ancient 
prophets.  Psalm  xvi.  10  : Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul 
in  hades ; neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption.”  Isaiah  xxvi.  19:  ‘‘Thy  dead  men  shall 
live,  together  with  my  dead  body  shall  they  arise. 
Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  dust : for  thy  dew  is  as 
the  dew  of  herbs,  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  the  dead.” 

His  resurrection  was  foretold  by  himself.  Mathew  xx. 

19 : “ They  shall  deliver  the  Son  of  man  to  the 

Gentiles  to  mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify  him : 
and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again.”  The  Pharisees 
themselves  admitted  that  Christ  predicted  his  own  resur- 
rection; for  they  came  to  Pilate,  and  said,  “That  de- 
ceiver said  while  he  was  yet  alive,  “ After  three  days  I 
will  rise  again.”  You  have,  therefore,  our  Lord’s  pre- 
diction of  it  most  explicit. 

This  resurrection  of  Christ  is  said  to  have  taken  place 
by  the  power  of  God  the  Father.  Acts  ii.  24  : “ Whom  ^ 
God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of  death  : 
because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden  of 
it.”  Romans  viii.  11 : “ But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that 
raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you,  he  that  raised 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


169 


up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal 
bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  youl’ 

It  is  said,  in  the  next  place,  to  have  taken  place  by 
Christ’s  own  power  : Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three 
days  I will  raise  it  up.  I have  power  to  lay  down  my 
life,  and  power  to  take  it  again.”  Now,  this  is  the 
most  wonderful  statement  of  all.  One  can  understand 
that  a dead  man  should  be  raised  by  an  Omnipotent 
God  external  to  him ; but  one  cannot  understand,  in  the 
common  knowledge  and  experience  of  life,  that  a dead 
man  should  raise  himself.  The  fact  that  he  is  dead  im- 
plies inability.  The  fact  that  Christ  raised  himself  from 
the  dead  is  one  of  the  grand  evidences  of  his  own  Deity. 

He  is  said,  in  the  next  place,  to  have  been  raised  by 
the  Holy  Ghost : Being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but 
quickened  by  the  Spirit.” 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  was  attested  by  angels  : 
“Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead?  He  is  not 
dead,  but  risen.” 

His  resurrection  was  attested  by  the  apostles : Acts 
i.  22:  “ One  must  be  ordained  to  be  a witness  with  us 
of  Christ’s  resurrection.”  Acts  ii.  82 : “ This  Jesus 
hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all  are  witnesses.” 

The  same  resurrection  too  is  attested  by  his  very  ene- 
mies ; for  you  will  observe,  the  chief  priests  and  scribes 
admitted  the  fact  that  He  was  gone,  that  the  tomb  was 
empty,  and  that  the  dead  one  laid  in  it  was  removed ; 
but  they  tried  to  explain  the  fact  on  principles  which 
look  at  the  first  blush  extremely  satisfactory,  but  which 
needed  only  to  be  analyzed  in  order  to  demonstrate  how 
untenable  they  Avere.  There  was  placed  around  the 


170 


THE  GEEAT  TRIBULATION. 


grave  of  Jesus  a battalion  of  Roman  soldiers.  The  night 
on  which  Christ  is  said  to  have  risen  from  the  dead,  was 
a moonlight  night,  as  it  can  be  demonstrated  alike  from 
Jewish  customs  and  from  historical  facts.  Not  only  so, 
but  that  night  was  one  of  the  great  festivals  of  Jerusa- 
lem, when  the  whole  heart  of  that  mighty  metropolis 
heaved,  as  it  were,  with  joy;  and  the  teeming  crowds 
that  came  into  it  were  so  overwhelming  that  they  had  to 
spread  tents  and  booths  in  the  streets  and  lanes  and  fields 
for  miles  about  the  capital,  in  order  to  have  room  for  the 
gigantic  population  that  rushed  into  Jerusalem  at  one  of 
its  grandest  festivals.  Now  it  was  alleged  by  the  Phari- 
sees, the  scribes,  and  the  high  priests,  that  Christ’s  body 
was  stolen  by  his  disciples,  who  entered  into  a conspiracy 
for  the  purpose.  It  was  alleged  that  they  called  the  sol- 
diers, and  they  bade  the  soldiers  say  that  Christ’s  body 
w^as  stolen  by  his  disciples. 

To  show  you  how  strong,  for  here  ^\e  can  only  give 
you  a specim^en,  are  the  proofs  and  credentials  of  this 
great  fact  in  our  common  Christianity,  first  observe  the 
impossibility  that  the  soldiers  could  have  slept,  as  they 
Avere  bribed  to  say,  and  yet  escape  the  punishment  of 
death,  which  by  the  martial  law  of  Rome,  was  instantly 
inflicted  on  the  soldier  who  slept  at  his  post.  If  the  sol- 
diers had  slept,  as  they  Avere  made  to  say,  they  confessed 
their  crime.  Why  were  they  not  punished  ? 

Again,  if  the  soldiers  slept,  is  it  not  miraculous  that 
some  twenty,  or  thirty,  or  forty,  or  fifty  men  should  all 
have  slept  exactly  at  the  same  moment  ? And  is  it  not 
equally  remarkable  that  all  these  fifty  men,  who  hap- 
pened to  sleep  exactly  at  the  same  moment,  were  not 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTIO  T. 


171 


punished  when  they  told  their  offence  ? That  the  apos- 
tles should  have  come — men  of  no  experience,  of  no 
great  tact,  as  their  past  history  shows — and  should  have 
rolled  away  a massive  stone,  that  would  have  taken  some 
dozen  of  men  to  move,  and  should  have  rolled  it  away 
without  some  machinery,  or  at  least  without  noise,  and 
should  have  done  it  so  deliberately  that  they  descended 
into  the  empty  tomb,  after  lifting  the  body  out  of  it,  and 
rolled  the  linen  clothes  aside,  wrapped  them  up,  and 
laid  them  quietly  in  a corner ; should  have  carried  that 
body  out  in  a bright  moonlight  night,  when  all  the  streets 
were  lined  with  men,  on  foot,  in  tents  or  in  booths ; 
should  have  carried  it  through  the  streets,  teeming  and 
heaving  with  a vast  population ; and  in  a bright  moon- 
light night  have  so  cleverly  concealed  it  that  no  witness 
saw  it ; and  should  have  defied  the  police,  who  were  in- 
structed to  make  the  most  rigid  inquiry  where  it  was, — 
I say,  to  suppose  all  these  things  to  occur  at  that  very 
time,  requires  the  sceptic  to  suppose  a miracle  almost 
equal  to  the  miracle  of  the  resurrection.  We  are,  there- 
fore satisfied  that  the  evidence  adduced  by  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  is  most  untenable ; not  that  we  need  it  to 
be  disproved,  but  only  that  we  should  q^lways  be  able  to 
render  a reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  us. 

This  great  fact  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  themselves. 
I have  shown  that  it  was  the  doctrine  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Scriptures,  foretold  by  the  prophets,  foretold  by 
himself,  attested  by  angels,  attested  by  the  apostles,  at- 
tested by  his  enemies.  He  was  raised  by  his  own  power, 
raised  by  the  Spirit,  raised  by  the  Father. 


172 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


What  doctrines,  or  what  truths  are  established  by  the 
fact  of  Christ’s  resurrection  ? Again  I take  you  to  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  declared  to  be  a proof  of  his  Deity. 
Declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead.” 

He  was  raised,  we  are  told,  for  our  justification.  Ko- 
rnans  iv.  25  : Who  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and 
was  raised  again  for  our  justification.”  Again,  Romans 
viii.  34 : Wlio  is  he  that  condemneth  ? It  is  Christ 
that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  w'ho  is  even  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for 
us.” 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  stated  as  an  emblem  of 
our  regeneration.  Romans  vi.  4.  As  Christ  wa^s  raised 
up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  Yie 
also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life.” 

It  is  alleged,  in  the  next  place,  to  be  the  first-fruits  of 
our  resurrection.  Acts  xxvi.  23  : That  Christ  should 
sufier,  and  that  he  should  be  the  first  that  should  rise 
from  the  dead.”  1 Corinthians  xv.  13,  20  : If  there 
be  no  resurrection  from  the  dead,  then  is  Christ  not 
risen  : but  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become 
the  first-fruits  of  them  that  slept.” 

It  is  also  associated  with  our  hope.  1 Peter  i.  3 : 
^‘Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  which  according  to  his  abundant  mercy  hath  be 
gotten  us  again  unto  a lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead.” 

We  are  told  also  in  Acts  i.  3,  and  by  John,  that  by 
many  conclusive  proofs  He  was  known  to  have  risen,  and 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


173 


that  to  many  ‘‘he  showed  himself  alive  after  his  passion 
by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of  them  forty  days.” 

We  have  then  the  fact  of  Christ’s  resurrection,  and 
the  doctrines  which  the  Scriptures  make  to  lean  on  and 
derive  their  nutriment  from  that  fact. 

Let  me  notice,  in  the  next  place,  the  resurrection  of 
believers  as  the  result  of  Christ’s  resurrection.  We  are 
told  clearly  in  Scripture,  that  because  Christ  died  and 
rose  again,  so  we  shall  rise  again.  There  are  some  who, 
in  most  learned  and  most  able  notes,  deny,  like  the  Ger- 
man rationalist  divines,  that  there  is  to  be  literally  and 
strictly  a resurrection.  They  say  that  it  is  all  figurative, 
and  that  it  does  not  mean  literally  the  resurrection  of  the 
body.  Now,  the  language  of  Scripture  is  very  explicit. 
“ The  hour  is  coming  when  all  that  are  in  their  graves 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  shall  come 
forth  : they  that  have  done  good  to  the  resurrection  of 
heaven  ; they  that  have  done  evil  to  the  resurrection  of 
condemnation.”  Here  is  a positive  assertion  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  body.  Again,  that  it  is  the  very  same 
bodies  that  are  to  rise  is  plain  from  the  word  “ resurrec- 
tion.” It  comes  from  “ resurgo,”  to  rise  again.  If  the 
bodies  of  all  believers  are  not  all  raised,  but  new  bodies 
are  created,  then  the  language  is  misapplied  : it  wwld 
not  be  a resurrection  ; it  would  be  a new  creation.  The 
apostle  calls  it  in  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  a 
“ mystery.”  It  would  be  no  mystery  at  all  to  give  us 
new  bodies  ; but  it  is  a mystery  that  our  dead  dust  should 
become  quickened  with  new  life,  and  that  that  dust 
should  be  reconstructed  in  more  than  its  pristine  beauty 


174 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION^. 


and  glory,  and  made  a resplendent  dwelling-place  for  the 
redeemed  and  regenerated  soul. 

Blit  it  is  objected,  all  science  leads  us  to  a contrary 
conclusion ; that  we  have  no  experience  of  such  a thing, 
and  that  w^e  have  no  reason  to  anticipate  such  a result. 
It  seems  to  me  the  reverse ; all  science  leads  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  resurrection  is  possible.  I am  about  to 
give  an  illustrative  analogy,  not  an  evidence  of  the  resur- 
rection. Take  the  discovery  that  is  now  universally 
admitted,  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  annihilation. 
When  the  wood  or  the  coal  is  cast  into  your  grate,  it  is 
not  annihilated,  it  has  only  changed  its  structure ; it  has 
assumed  the  shape  of  a gaseous  body,  and  it  exists  in  all 
its  completeness  only  under  other  names,  and  with  other 
appearances,  in  another  shape,  and  probably  incorporated 
into  other  elements.  We  know  of  no  such  thing  as  anni- 
hilation. A seed  is  cast  into  the  earth,  that  seed  grows 
up  into  flax,  that  flax  ripens  into  flowers  or  fruit ; that 
again  is  prepared,  and  made  into  linen;  that  linen  is 
worn  out ; it  is  torn  into  rags,  it  is  turned  into  paper  ; 
that  paper  is  written  upon — it  is  thrown  into  the  fire  ; 
and  that  first  seed  of  the  flax  has  changed  itself  over  and 
over  again ; but  all  its  constituent  elements  are  all  there, 
with  other  elements  added ; it  is  not  annihilated,  it  has 
only  changed  its  form ; so  that  science  shows  that  change 
of  structure  is  the  great  law,  not  annihilation.  All  this 
supports,  not  opposes,  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection. 

All  things  are  possible  with  God,  except  to  lie  ; but 
there  is  no  lie  here,  no  deception.  He  tells  us  literally 
that  it  will  be  so.  If  a chemist  living  in  the  present 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


175 


day  can  take  any  substance,  submit  it  to  his  tests,  resolve 
that  substance  into  its  pristine  elements  ; and  if  he  be  in 
pursuit  of  any  particular  element,  be  it  arsenic,  or  prus- 
sic acid,  or  other  deadly  poison,  he  can  hunt  it  out  of  all 
its  retreats  and  combinations,  even  after  it  has  entered 
into  the  animal  tissues,  and  can  bring  the  element  out 
in  all  its  integrity  just  as  it  was  before,  shall  ‘we  think  it 
impossible  that  the  great  Maker,  the  Architect,  the  Chem- 
ist, if  I may  use  the  expression  reverently,  of  the  whole 
universe,  will  be  able  to  trace  out  the  constituent  ele- 
ments of  my  body,  and  bring  those  elements,  dust  to  dust, 
atom  to  atom,  bone  to  bone,  till  the  whole  earth  is  covered 
with  an  army  of  resurrection,  living,  and  responsible  men. 
He  will  speak  to  the  distant  streams  of  the  earth,  and 
each  stream  will  send  forth  its  dead.  His  voice  will  be 
heard  in  the  silent  caverns  of  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt, 
and  the  Pharaohs  that  are  sleeping  there  will  come  forth. 
His  word  will  sound  in  the  remotest  deserts  of  Africa 
and  Asia,  and  they  that  have  the  sands  for  their  wdnding- 
sheet,  and  solitude  as  their  only  companion,  shall  come 
forth.  He  will  call  to  those  that  are  beneath  the  green 
sod,  and  that  sod  will  lift  itself  aside  and  let  God’s  priso- 
ners of  hope  come  forth.  The  very  dust  on  which  we 
now  tread  will  become  instinct  with  vitality  ; and  the 
awful  fact  will  then  be  seen,  as  we  now  admit,  that  on 
the  very  ground  on  which  we  now  tread — every  inch  of 
this  great  metropolis — the  numbers  that  are  below  it  far 
outnumber  those  that  are  above  it ; and  the  mighty  popu- 
lation that  shall  come  forth  from  these  spots  on  which  we 
now  are,  will  prove  at  that  day  alike  the  truth  of  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  the  faithfulness  and 


176 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


power  of  HiiRj  Avliose  voice  they  shall  hear,  and  come 
forth.  Thus,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  seems  not  at 
all  improbable  in  whatever  light  we  look  at  it. 

But  let  us  notice  the  facts  connected  with  it,  and  the 
evidence  of  it  drawn  from  Scripture. 

First,  this  resurrection  will  consist  of  two  great  classes. 
They  are  called  the  just  and  the  unjust ; they  that  have 
done  good,  and  they  that  have  done  evil.  And  there  will 
then  be  but  two  great  characters.  All  the  drapery  of 
outward  circumstance  will  be  left  behind;  there  will  be 
but  two  vast  classes,  they  that  have  done  good,  and  they 
that  have  done  evil.  Every  other  distinction  will  be 
lost ; every  other  accidental  characteristic  will  have  van- 
ished ; every  discrimination,  ecclesiastical,  national,  so- 
cial, Aviir  be  merged  and  lost  in  that  one  which  was  first, 
and  shall  be  last,  and  for  ever,  the  just,  and  the  unjust. 
The  king  cannot  carry  his  crown  with  him ; the  beggar 
will  not  take  his  rags  with  him ; both  shall  appear,  each 
in  his  category,  among  the  just  that  live  and  rejoice,  or 
the  unjust,  that  suffer  for  ever  and  for  ever.  The  patri- 
archs of  ancient  times,  and  the  babes  of  yesterday  ; Adam 
and  all  his  mighty  family  shall  then  and  there  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  come  forth.  They  that 
have  done  good  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they  that 
have  done  evil  to  the  resurrection  of  condemnation. 

This  was  the  doctrine  of  the  Old  Testament.  Job 
said,  ‘‘  I know  that  m.y  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  in  my 
flesh  I shall  see  God.’’  In  Psalm  xlix.  15:  ‘‘ God  will 
redeem  my  soul  from  the  powder  of  the  grave  : for  he 
shall  receive  me.”  Daniel  says,  Many  that  sleep  in 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


177 


the  dust  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some 
to  everlasting  shame  and  contempt.” 

It  was  expected,  too,  by  the  most  enlightened  Jews. 
There  was  Martha,  who  had  heard  little  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, but  who  said,  “ I know  that  my  brother  shall  rise 
again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.”  The  great 
doctrine  which  the  Sadducees  objected  to,  and  the  preach- 
ing at  which  they  gnashed  their  teeth,  was  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead.  We  have  in  Scripture,  too,  individ- 
ual instances  of  it, — Christ  the  first-fruits,  the  son  of  the 
widow  of  ISTain,  and  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  All  these 
prove  that  this  truth  is  a doctrine  of  Scripture,  and  a 
truth  taught  by  our  blessed  Lord. 

But  the  language  of  Paul  in  this  present  verse  is  very 
emphatic,  and  very  peculiar.  He  says,  ^‘If  by  any 
means  I might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.” 
Why,  how  could  he  escape  it?  We  have  just  heard  that 
all  shall  rise.  The  just  and  the  unjust,  the  greatest 
criminal  and  the  greatest  saint,  shall  equally  rise  from 
the  dead  in  resurrection  bodies.  Then  what  does  the 
apostle  mean  when  he  says,  If  by  any  means  I might 
attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ?”  The  only 
way  in  which  we  can  explain  it  is  by  that  supposition,  or 
rather  historical  statement,  impugned  by  some,  but,  I 
think,  unequivocally  established  by  others,  that  the  res- 
urrection, while  it  is  of  the  just  and  of  the  unjust,  yet 
implies  an  interval  between  the  resurrection  of  the  just 
and  the  resurrection  of  the  unjust.  In  other  words,  it 
can  only  be  explained,  I conceive,  by  admitting  what  I 
cannot  escape  on  impartially  reading  the  Scriptures,  that 
there  is  a first  resurrection,  consisting  exclusively  of  the 
8^ 


178 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


just ; and  that  there  is  a second  resurrection,  consisting 
exclusively  of  the  unjust.  Let  me  refer  to  the  passage 
contained  in  the  20th  cliapter  of  the  book  of  Revelation, 
and  see  if  it  cast  any  light  upon  the  subject  on  which  I 
am  now  commenting.  It  says,  I saw  an  angel  come 
down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit 
and  a great  chain  in  his  hand.  And  he  laid  hold  on  the 
dragon,  that  old  serpent,  wLich  is  the  Devil  and  Satan, 
and  bound  him  a thousand  years,  and  cast  him  into  the 
bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and  set  a seal  upon  him, 
that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more,  till  the  thou- 
sand years  should  be  fulfilled  : and  after  that  he  must  be 
loosed  a little  season.  And  I saw  thrones,  and  they  sat 
upon  them,  and  judgment  was  given  unto  them  ; and  I 
saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the  witness 
of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  wdiich  had  not 
worshipped  the  beast,  neither  his  image,  neither  had  re- 
ceived his  mark  upon  their  foreheads,  or  in  their  hands ; 
and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a thousand  years. 
But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until  the  thou- 
sand years  were  finished.  This  is  the  first  resurrection. 
Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resur- 
rection : on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power,  but 
they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign 
with  him  a thousand  years.”  The  reply  to  this  may  be, 
but  all  this  is  figurative.”  You  do  not  mean,”  it  is 
argued  by  those  who  do  not  hold  a distinction  in  the  res- 
urrection of  the  dead,  You  do  not  mean  to  assert  that 
there  will  be  literally  a key,  and  literally  a great  chain, 
and  literally  Satan  bound  with  its  links  for  a thousand 
years.  And  if  you  do  not  literally  interpret  the  first 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


179 


verse” — and  the  imagery  I have  read  is  figurative — you 
are  bound  to  interpret  the  sequel,  namely,  the  first  and 
second  resurrections,  figuratively  also.”  If  it  was  stated 
similarly,  as  the  imagery  in  which  the  first  verse  is  given, 
without  any  explanation,  then  perhaps  their  construction 
wwld  be  the  most  probable.  But  you  will  observe,  that 
when  the  whole  thing  is  stated,  and  when  it  has  been  said 
that  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again,  but  that  the  first 
section  of  the  dead  reigned  wdth  Christ  a thousand  years, 
it  is  added,  This  is  the  first  resurrection.”  Is  not  this 
the  explanatory  literal  remark  upon  the  figurative  ima- 
gery employed  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  chapter?  Just 
as,  ‘‘I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks;  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks  one  like  unto  the  Son 
of  man.”  Now,  what  is  added?  The  seven  candle- 
sticks w^hich  thou  sawest  are  the  seven  churches.”  That 
is  the  literal  clause  thrown  in  to  explain  the  figurative 
language  that  has  been  employed.  So,  by  parity  of  rea- 
soning, this  clause,  ‘‘  This  is  the  first  resurrection,”  is 
the  literal  clause  thrown  in  to  explain  the  imagery  that 
has  been  employed  in  the  previous  part  of  the  chapter ; 
and,  therefore,  that  the  first  resurrection  is  literal,  and 
that  the  rest  of  the  dead  shall  not  rise  again  until  the 
thousand  years  have  been  finished.  It  has  been  argued 
by  those  who  oppose  this  view,  that  all  this  is  to  be  re- 
garded as  figurative.  But  at  the  close  of  the  chapter 
there  is  an  account  of  the  resurrection  which  the  very  op- 
ponents of  my  view  of  the  first  resurrection  allow  to  be 
literal,  namely,  at  the  12th  verse  of  this  20th  chapter  of 
the  book  of  Revelation  : And  I saw  the  dead,  small  and 
great,  stand  before  God  ; and  the  books  were  opened  : and 


180 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


another  book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life  ; and 
the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  writ- 
ten in  the  books,  according  to  their  works.”  Now,  they 
all  say,  This  is  literal.  But  is  it  not  very  fair  to  say, 
if  the  first  be  figurative,  the  second  must  be  figurative 
too ; if  the  first  be  literal,  the  last  must  be  literal  too  ? 
You  must  not  say.  This  is  figurative,  just  when  it  suits 
a previous  conclusion ; and.  That  is  .literal,  just  because 
it  suits  another  previous  conclusion.  Take  the  parts  that 
are  avowedly  literal,  as  I conceive,  in  the  chapter,  and  ac- 
cept the  whole  as  such  ; or  admit  that  both  are  figurative, 
and  then  you  must  conclude  with  the  German  rationalist 
divines,  that  there  is  not  a literal  resurrection  of  the  dead 
at  all.  If  the  first  is  literal,  the  last  is  literal  too. 

But  the  original  language  is  extremely  peculiar.  When 
the  apostles,  or  our  Lord,  speak  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  the  words  that  are  used  are  dvdarraavg  vsTcg^p, 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.”  But  in  all  those  pas- 
sages, which  by  their  very  context  are  proved  to  refer  to 
a special  resurrection,  the  words  are  as  follow : Luke 
xiv.  14,  ip  dvacridast  T(bp  dtxaiMv^  the  resurrection  of 
the  just,”  a distinct  one.  Luke  xx.  35,  dpuaTdcrsMg 
Trig  ex  pfxqwp^  they  which  shall  be  accounted  worthy  to 
obtain  the  resurrection  from  the  dead;”  but  it  is,  lite- 
rally translated,  ^‘that  distinctive  resurrection  from  the 
dead,”  dpaaidasog^ — irigy  that  emphatic  one,”— 

LX  psxQibp  ^Hhat  resurrection,”  that  special  or  distinc- 
tive one  from  among  the  dead.”  Again,  in  John  v.  29, 
elg  (xpdccTTaaip  lorqg^  unto  the  resurrection  of  life.”  And 
in  the  very  passage  on  which  I am  commenting,  the 
same  remarkable  distinction  is  qbseryed,  If  by  any 


THE  MUST  RESURRECTION. 


181 


means  I might  attain,  f Jg  irii^  F^aviiaKxaip  i(bp  veTiQihv,  hav- 
ing the  very  same  If  this  be  the  common  resurrec- 
ion  of  all,  there  is  no  reason  for  the  apostle  having  any 
doubt  at  all  about  its  certainty ; but  if  it  be  the  first 
1 esurrection  which  is  at  the  commencement  of  the  Mil- 
lennium, and  just  when  Christ  comes,  and  not  the  resur- 
rection which  is  at  the  close  of  the  Millennium,  then 
there  is  meaning  in  the  language  of  the  apostle,  ^Mf  by 
any  means  I might  attain,’^  not  unto  the  resurrection  at 
the  close  of  the  Millennium,  but  unto  the  resurrection  of 
those  w^ho  are  raised  at  the  commencement  of  the  Mil- 
lennium. So,  in  Revelation  xx.  5,  the  same  words  are 
used,  Avii]  dpdcaraaig  nqmrj  ‘‘this  is  that  resurrec- 
tion, that  first  resurrection,  that  chief  or  distinctive  one.^’ 
Now,  wherever  the  context  shows  that  the  resurrection 
was  an  object  of  hope,  of  desire,  of  ambition,  invariably 
the  preposition  f I occurs,  and  denotes  a resurrection  out 
of  the  dead,  the  rest  of  the  dead  living  not  till  after  the 
thousand  years. 

If  you  say  the  interval  between  the  two  resurrections 
of  the  dead  seems  long  in  1 Cor.  xv.  23,  I answer,  it  is 
said,  “Everyman  in  his  own  order:  Christ  the  first- 
fruits;  afterward  they  that  are  Christ’s  at  his  coming.” 
Well,  He  who  was  the  first-fruits  rose  1800  years  ago; 
they  that  are  his  will  be  raised  very  soon,  when  the  Lord 
comes.  “ Then  cometh  the  end,”  that  is,  the  end  of  the 
thousand  years.  And  as  there  is  an  interval  of  1800 
years  between  “ Christ  the  first-fruits,”  and  the  resur- 
rection of  them  “that  are  Christ’s  at  his  coming;”  so 
there  may  be  an  interval  between  “ they  that  are  Christ’s 
at  his  coming,”  and  those  that  did  not  live  until  the 
thousand  years  were  finished. 


182 


THF  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


It  thus  appears  irresistibly  evident  that  there  are  two 
distinct  resurrections;  the  firsts  the  resurrection  of  the 
saints,  those  that  believe ; the  second,  the  resurrection 
of  the  unjust,  or  those  that  believe  not.  It  may  be  that 
in  ten,  in  twenty,  in  thirty, — we  know  not  in  how  many 
years,  the  Lord  shall  come ; but  the  instant  He  comes, 
we  which  are  alive,’’  says  the  apostle  in  another  pas- 
sage I might  have  quoted,  and  remain,  shall  be  caught 
up  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  : the  dead  in  Christ  shall 
rise  first.”  The  instant  Christ  comes,  every  dead  saint, 
wherever  buried,  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  come  forth ; 
every  living  saint,  wherever  he  is,  shall  recognize  that 
royal  sound,  and  go  out  to  meet  Him.  What  an  awful 
separation  will  there  be  ! One  grave,  in  which  there  are 
twain,  will  throw  up  one,  and  the  other  will  remain. 
One  family  will  see  one,  drawn  by  a mysterious  attrac- 
tion, go  forth  to  meet  the  Lord,  and  the  rest  remain  be- 
hind. Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  this  first 
resurrection  ; sad  and  sorrowful  is  the  state  of  him  who 
has  no  lot,  nor  share,  nor  part  in  it.  Then  our  bodies, 
as  the  bodies  of  the  just,  will  be  made  meet  for  the  glo- 
rious spirits  that  have  been  redeemed  by  the  Savior’s 
blood ; and  when  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and  they  that 
pierced  Him,  we  can  say,  Whom,  having  not  seen,  we 
love ; in  whom,  though  at  present  we  see  him  not ; yet 
then  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.” 
No  wonder  then  that  the  apostle  Paul  prizes  this  attain- 
ment, If  by  any  means  I might  attain;”  I am  willing 
to  sacrifice  wealth,  honor,  credit,  health,  life,  “If  by 
any  means  I might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from 
among  the  dead.” 


THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 


183 


Do  we  thus  anticipate  it  ? Do  we  thus  desire  it  ? Do 
we  look  forward  to  it  as  the  coronal  of  our  hopes,  as  the 
great  object  of  our  ambition,  for  which,  and  on  account 
of  which,  we  are  ready  to  sacrifice  all  things  ? The  way 
to  it  is  Christ ; the  means  to  it  are  prayer,  painstaking, 
sacrifice,  toil.  And  if  you  feel  that  prospect  magnificent, 
even  as  the  apostle  felt  it,  you  will  long  and  pray  that  by 
any  means  God  in  his  wisdom  may  appoint,  you  may  at- 
tain unto  the  resurrection  from  among  the  dead.  Then 
shall  we  behold  Him  as  He  is,  then  shall  we  be  satisfied 
with  his  likeness,  then  shall  we  be  as  the  angels  in  heav- 
en, then  shall  we  know  no  more  sorrow,  nor  tears,  nor 
cares,  nor  mourning ; then  shall  we  meet  those  that  have 
fallen  asleep  in  Christ,  recognizing  them,  and  they  re- 
cognizing us,  and  both  rejoicing  as  an  holy  and  happy 
family  to  be  ever  with  the  Lord ; then  shall  we  be  able, 
even  now  are  we  able,  to  say, 

Grave,  the  guardian  of  our  dust, 

Grave,  the  treasury  of  the  skies; 

Every  atom  of  thy  dust  * 

Rests  in  hope  again  to  rise. 

“ Hark!  the  judgment  trumpet  calls. 

Soul,  rebuild  thy  house  of  clay ; 

Immortality  its  walls. 

And  eternity  its  day.” 

Is  this  your  hope  ? If  it  be  your  faith  that  Christ 
died  for  you — that  your  sins  are  washed  away  in  his 
blood — that  you  have  been  accepted  in  his  name — then 
you  prove  his  acceptance  by  imitating  his  holy  and  his 
blessed  example.  This  glorious  hope  is  based  upon  liv- 
ing faith.  There  can  be  no  Easter  Sabbath  without  a 


184 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


previous  Friday  of  sorrow  and  of  suffering.  There  is 
no  way  to  the  crown,  but  the  way  of  the  cross.  There 
is  no  really  founded  hope  of  everlasting  life,  except  on 
the  blood,  the  death,  and  sacrifice  of  Christ  Jesus.  Have 
you  then  believed  on  Him  ? Have  you  committed  your 
souls  to  Him  ? Are  you  living  under  a sense  of  real, 
vital,  influential,  constraining  religion  ? Christianity  is 
not  a Sabbath-day  profession,  but  a week-day  life.  It  is 
not  a form,  but  power ; it  is  not  a name,  but  life.  And 
that  man  who  has  no  well-founded  hope  for  believing  that 
his  sins  have  been  forgiven,  through  Christ’s  blood,  has 
no  well-founded  evidence  that  he  shall  be  found  in  that 
resurrection, — that  resurrection  from  among  the  dead, 
of  which  it  is  said,  Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath 
part  in  it.’’ 


LECTURE  XXXIL 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PART. 

Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first 
resurrection : on  such  the  second  death  hath  no 
power ^ but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of 
Christy  a7id  shall  reign  vnth  him  a thousand  yearsP 
— Revelation  xx.  6. 

There  is  in  the  minds  of  ns  all  a lurking  notion,  even  in 
those  who  do  not  accept  it,  that  there  is  something  in 
matter,  in  our  corporeal  nature,  in  the  earth,  in  all  the 
things  connected  wdth  the  earth,  essentially  and  intrinsi- 
cally sinful.  When  you  hear  of  dwelling  in  a literal 
world,  or  of  the  body  being  raised  and  your  living  in  it, 
and  that  body  being  admitted  into  a state  of  perfect  hap- 
piness; the  question  does  occur  to  you,  whether  you  like 
or  not,  how  can  this  vile  body  be  admitted  into  that  holy, 
holy,  holy  presence  ? All  of  us  have  the  remains  of  the 
old  gnostic,  Gentile,  or  rather  heathen  philosophy,  that 
spirit  was  made  by  God,  that  matter  was  made  by  the 
devil ; that  the  two  are  antagonists,  and  never  can  dwell 
together  ; and  that  the  body  is  the  prison  of  the  soul,  and 
must  be  annihilated  in  order  that  the  glorious  inhabitant 
within  may  emerge,  and  enjoy  the  full  blessedness  of  them 
that  are  forever  with  God.  The  consequence  is,  that  in 
many  minds  the  state  of  the  happy  dead  is  so  etherealized 

(185 


186 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


that  they  cannot  appreciate  or  comprehend  it.  I know 
that  in  the  preaching  of  some  most  excellent  ministers, 
whose  preaching  of  the  Gospel  is  powerful,  and  full,  and 
faithful,  this  thought  is  implied.  But  I must  ask  all  not 
to  accept  what  doctors  say,  nor  what  rabbis  believe  ; but 
to  read  this  doom  book,  for  we  are  Protestants;  what  is 
here  is  everlasting  truth,  if  the  whole  world  should  de- 
nounce it ; what  is  not  here  is  not  necessary  for  any  man 
to  believe  in  order  to  salvation.  Now  let  me  show  you, 
in  the  first  place,  that  your  idea  about  matter  cannot  be 
correct ; for  matter,  in  all  its  multitudinous  developments, 
is  as  much  the  creature  of  God  as  the  holiest  seraph  that 
wings  his  flight  and  sings  beside  the  throne  of  Deity. 
God  made  the  stars  of  the  sky,  the  flowers  of  the  earth, 
the  waters  of  the  deep  sea,  and  the  streams  of  all  earth’s 
rivers.  And  if  God  made  all  things  visible  and  material 
that  we  see,  that  we  touch,  that  we  handle,  will  you  believe 
that  a holy  God  made  matter  originally  tainted,  poisoned, 
polluted ; with  disease  and  decay,  with  disorder  and  dis- 
cord, and  finally  with  death — can  you  believe  that  ? If 
God  made  matter  so.  He  made  sin ; and  if  he  made  sin, 
how  can  you  reconcile  his  constant  denunciation  of  it; 
his  declaration  that  he  will  extirpate  and  banish  it  from 
his  world  for  ever  ? Does  He  hate  what  He  himself  made  ? 
Does  He  war  against  what  He  himself  introduced  ? The 
idea  is  absurd  ; the  contradiction  is  too  gross  to  be  for  one 
moment  entertained.  Does  not  all  the  teaching  of  Scrip- 
ture, on  the  contrary,  demonstrate  that  all  creation,  this 
orb,  and  that  sky,  and  those  stars,  and  those  flowers,  and 
that  great  sea,  were  all  made  originally  holy,  perfect,  harmo- 
nious, pure ; and  that  sin  is  a subsequent  interpolation ; that 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PART. 


187 


it  is  an  after-creation  intrusion  ? Whence  it  came,  why  it 
came,  are  questions  I cannot  solve,  and  need  not  discuss ; but 
the  fact  that  sin  was  introduced  after  the  earth  was  made 
is  a fact  that  appears  upon  every  page  of  God’s  blessed 
book.  If  sin  was  introduced  after  creation,  and  if  sin  be 
not  part  and  parcel  of  the  original  constitution  of  creation, 
then  sin  is  not  part  of  God’s  creation.  Do  you  think  dis- 
ease is  part  of  my  body?  that  blindness,  deafness,  pa- 
ralysis, decay,  death,  were  ever  made  originally  as  part 
and  parcel  of  my  nature  ? They  are  imperfections,  the 
fruits  oS  sin,  and  subsequently  introduced,  and  were  not 
made  by  God.  I was  no  more  made  to  die  than  the  angels 
in  glory ; I was  made  immortal,  holy,  happy  ; and  what- 
ever of  disease,  whatever  of  ache,  w^hatever  of  decay  are 
felt  in  me,  are  not  from  God,  and  Him  I cannot  blame  : 
they  are  simply  from  myself ; that  is,  from  the  creature. 
But,  blessed  thought ! they  are  destined  to  be  expunged  ; 
God  will  purify  the  creature  He  made  once  so  holy ; and 
earth  restored  will  be  a grander  spectacle  than  earth  as 
originally  created,  and  its  last  Paradise  will  be  a more 
brilliant  scene  than  the  first  with  which  time  dawned  and 
in  which  Adam  dwelt.  Now  then,  if  this  be  true,  that 
sin  is  an  interpolation,  let  me  ask,  is  there  any  diflSculty 
in  supposing  that  God  will  eliminate  from  my  nature  that 
which  has  infected  it  ? Is  man,  for  instance,  able  to  purify 
the  infected  dwelling ; is  he  able  to  detach  decay,  and 
arrest  it ; is  he  able,  by  the  most  sifting  and  exquisite 
analysis,  to  trace  the  retreats  and  the  hiding-places  of  the 
subtle  poison  that  has  been  introduced  into  the  body  ; and 
literally  to  bring  up  from  the  grave  the  evidences  of  the 
poisoner’s  guilt  and  criminality  ? Is  man  able  to  do  all 


188 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


this;  and  shall  Omnipotence  be  unable  to  extract  the 
poison  from  the  work  it  made  ? Shall  Omniscience  fail 
in  tracking  through  all  its  windings  the  evil  that  has  been 
introduced?  Shall  He  who  expelled  the  leprosy,  who 
opened  the  blind  eye,  who  arrested  the  corruption  of  the 
grave,  and  brought  forth  the  dead,  living  and  happy,  to 
mingle  again  with  living  men  ; — shall  He  be  unable  to 
purify  a world  He  had  made? — to  eliminate  from  this 
body  the  sin,  and  the  decay,  and  the  diseases  that  have 
entered  ; and  to  reconstruct  and  to  constitute  me  a crea- 
ture far  nobler  and  better  than  when  he  gazed  upon  the 
new  made  Adam,  and  behold,  all  was  very  good  ? But  vre 
are  not  left  to  a mere  conjecture ; there  are  express  de- 
clarations in  Scripture  to  that  effect : for  what  does  it 
say?  We  look  for  the  Savior,  who  shall  change  our 
vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious 
body.’’  That  one  text  settles  the  matter.  What  was  his 
glorious  body  ? That  body  with  which  He  rose  from  the 
mount.  But  our  vile  bodies  shall  be  fashioned  like  unto 
his  glorious  body.  And,  says  Paul,  the  trumpet  shall 
sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised ; and  we  shall  be 
changed  ; for  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality.”  And 
therefore  we  believe,  that  out  of  the  dust  the  fallen  shrine 
of  human  nature  shall  be  rebuilt,  and  consecrated  afresh 
I by  God  himself:  on  its  cold  altar  a new  vestal  fire  shall 
be  kindled  ; and  the  second  temple  of  humanity  will  be 
grander  than  the  first ; and  there  will  be  heard  over  it,  in 
its  beauty  and  in  its  perfection,  a shout — an  anthem  peal 
of  praise,  richer,  greater,  more  lasting  than  when  the 
morning  stars  sang  together  for  joy  over  a new  born 
world. 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PART. 


189 


Throughout  Scripture  itself  there  is  the  intimation  of 
man  longing,  yearning,  and  desiring  this  very  resurrection 
of  the  body.  What  does  the  apostle  say  in  that  mag- 
nificent chapter,  Romans  viii.  ? ‘‘We  ourselves,  which 
have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit,  groan  within  ourselves 
that  is,  are  in  trouble.  Why  ? “ Looking  for  the  adop- 

tion, to  wit,  the  redemption’’ — that  is,  the  resurrection — 
“of  the  body.”  And  in  the  book  of  Revelation,  the  souls 
below  the  altar  cry  with  a loud  voice,  “ How  long,  0 
Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge 
our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth?”  And  Rev. 
XX.  is  the  response.  Now  then,  this  thought  is  forced 
upon  my  mind ; the  soul  at  this  moment  in  the  realms  of 
glory,  conscious,  living,  unspeakably  happy,  feels  related 
to  an  absent  body ; in  other  w^ords,  amid  all  the  felicity  of 
heaven,  there  is  remaining  still  a sense  of  incompleteness. 
For  what  does  the  apostle  say?  “I  long  to  be  absent 
from  the  body,  and  present  with  the  Lord :”  well,  he  is 
present  with  the  Lord,  but  he  is  absent  from  the  body. 
And  the  very  sense  of  enjoyment  that  consists  in  presence 
with  the  Lord  has  the  relieving  sense — the  deep  recollec- 
tion— that  he  is  still  absent  from  what  is  not  a house  se- 
parate from  myself,  but  part  and  parcel  of  myself ; for  the 
definition  of  man  is  not  spirit — is  not  animal,  but  soul  and 
body  joined  together ; and  those  that  God  united  shall 
again  be  re-knit,  and  so  shall  man  thus  be  for  ever  with  the 
Lord.  If  these  things  be  so,  I think  the  language  that 
we  sometimes  hear  men  use,  in  reference  to  the  body,  is 
most  unscriptural.  We  ought  not  to  speak  of  the  body  with 
contempt ; we  ought  not  to  regard  it  and  denounce  it 
as  incapable  of  joy.  The  body  is  not  an  enemy,  to 


190 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


be  destroyed  with  death  ; but  a sorrowing  partner  in 
our  fall,  that  needs  to  be  comforted,  and  that  will  be 
restored.  My  blessed  Lord  sanctified  my  nature  when 
He  took  a handful  of  the  dust  of  which  it  was  made,  and 
knit  it  to  himself,  and  filled  it  with  all  the  splendor  and 
glory  of  the  shechinah  upon  earth.  My  blessed  Lord 
speaks  through  my  lips,  looks  through  human  eyes ; has 
in  heaven  with  Him  a human  heart ; can  sympathise  with 
us  in  all  our  griefs. 

The  Savior  therefore,  having  my  nature  in  heaven,  is 
to  me  an  earnest,  proof,  and  prophecy,  that  man  can  and 
shall  be  there  also.  But  then  you  meet  with  this.  Do 
we  not  see,  what  you  must  admit,  that  when  death  comes 
you  must  take  this  body,  lay  it  in  the  dust,  even  as  Abra- 
ham was  obliged  to  hide  his  beloved  Sarah  out  of  his  very 
sight  ? What  a humbling  thought,  that  the  noblest,  the 
fairest,  and  most  gifted,  and  most  beautiful,  must  one  day 
lie  down  in  the  house  appointed  for  all  living.  Man 
surely  has  little  ground  for  pride ; though,  blessed 
thought ! even  in  the  grave  he  has  the  sweet  germ  of  ev- 
erlasting and  indestructible  hope.  But  what  seems  decay 
in  the  grave  is  only  a process  preparatory  to  a glorious 
resurrection.  The  beautiful  blossom  emerging  from  the 
dark  stem ; the  golden-winged  butterfly  breaking  its  chry- 
salis shell,  and  coming  out ; the  spring  rising  from  the 
winding-sheet  of  winter  snow ; the  summer  about  to  be 
born  of  spring,  are  illustrative  prophecies  of  the  new 
body,  the  resurrection  body,  rising  from  the  dust  of  the 
old ; for  that  which  thou  so  west  is  not  quickened  until  it 
die.’’  And  as  long,  therefore,  as  I look  round  me  on 
spring,  and  see  the  seed  decay  that  is  cast  into  the  earth,  but 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PART. 


191 


issue  in  a lovelier  plant ; and  the  petals  wither,  but  dis- 
close the  ripening  fruit ; so  long  I am  satisfied  that  those 
sweet  buds  of  promise  that  are  scattered  throughout  this 
blessed  book,  that  seem  to  wither  into  dust  the  instant  we 
bring  them  near  the  grave,  where  corruption  has  begun 
its  work ; those  buds  I am  sure  shall  not  decay ; they 
shall  blossom,  they  shall  bear  immortal  fruit,  and  live  in 
endless  beauty  ; for  stronger,  surer,  than  spring,  and  sum- 
mer, and  autumn,  and  winter,  is  one  word  the  Lord  our 
God  hath  spoken. 

But  it  has  been  asked.  How  are  the  dead  raised  ? Let 
me  turn  your  attention  to  one  illustrative  clause,  which 
has  struck  me  as  containing  thoughts  that  I have  not  dis- 
closed before.  It  is  in  1 Corinthians  xv.  35,  where  the 
apostle  says,  But  some  one  will  say,  How  are  the  dead 
raised,  and  with  what  body  do  they  come  ? Thou  fool, 
that  wdiich  thou  sowest  is  not  quickened  except  it  die.” 
That  one  clause  contains  the  secret  of  the  whole.  Let  me 
ask  you  to  watch  and  analyse  that  sentiment,  and  see  if 
we  have  not  in  it  some  dim  but  not  uninstructive  illus- 
tration of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead.  First  of  all 
observe,  ‘‘  Except  it  die,”  teaches  us  dissolution.  The 
seed  is  dissolved  ; the  body  is  dissolved.  You  take  a seed 
of  corn  ; you  deposit  it  in  the  earth  ; it  is  disorganized,  it 
is  reduced  into  its  constituent  elements.  So  the  body  is 
laid  in  the  grave.  As  long  as  life  is  in  my  body,  it  re- 
sists the  laws  of  chemistry,  and  will  not  dissolve.  The 
moment  a man  is  born  he  begins  to  die ; and  the  thing 
that  keeps  him  from  dying  is  the  higher  law  of  life,  wLich 
prevents  the  lower  chemical  laws  of  disorganization  in- 
stantly taking  effect ; life  holds  you  back  from  disorgani- 


192 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


zation.  When  life  departs,  and  the  body  is  left ; when 
the  soul  takes  its  flight,  the  body  yields  to  the  laws  of 
chemistry,  comes  under  new  aflinities,  and  falls  into  disor- 
ganization. But  still,  as  the  decaying  seed  that  you  have 
deposited  in  the  earth  is  related  to  the  full  plant  which 
that  seed  nurses  in  its  bosom,  and  the  death  of  that  seed 
is  necessary  to  the  life  of  that  plant,  so  the  old  body  de- 
cays, but  it  has  in  its  bosom  the  elements  of  the  neAv  one ; 
and  the  relation  of  the  body  laid  in  the  tomb  to  the  body 
that  will  be  resplendent  in  glory  is  as  vital  and  as  inde- 
structible as  the  relation  between  the  seed  that  you  put 
in  the  earth  and  the  seed  that  grows  on  the  ripe  stalk  when 
the  season  of  autumn  draws  near.  The  seed  in  the  earth 
is  essential  to  the  seed  that  ripens  above  it ; the  body  in 
the  grave  is  essential  to  and  inseparable  from  the  body 
that  shall  appear  at  the  resurrection  morn.  And  hence  is 
the  second  law  of  evolution.  ^‘That  which  thou  so  west 
is  not  quickened,’’  that  is  evolution; — “except  it  die.” 
When  the  body  is  laid  in  the  grave  there  is  not  the  de- 
struction of  the  old  body  absolutely,  and  thereby  an  end 
to  it,  and  afterwards  the  creation  of  a new ; but  there  is 
the  disappearing  of  the  old  by  its  appearing  in  the  new  ; 
the  new  body  gathering  strength  and  vitality  from  the  de- 
struction of  the  old,  till  the  old  is  exhausted,  and  all  its 
constituent  elements  are  taken  into  the  new ; thus  that 
which  fell  is  that  which  rises,  corruption  having  become 
incorruption,  and  mortality  immortality ; yet  all  the 
while  there  is  perfect  identity,  for  there  is  no  interruption 
or  break  in  the  development.  It  appears  as  the  decaying 
seed  in  the  earth  evolves  into  the  flowering  stalk,  and  the 
seed  in  the  ripe  ear  is  the  repetition  of  the  seed  that  decays 


THE  BLESSED  .AND  HOLY  PART. 


193 


at  its  roots.  The  flower  on  the  stalk  would  not  be  there, 
were  the  connection  between  it  and  the  decaying  seed  in- 
terrupted for  a moment.  The  resurrection  body  would 
not  be,  were  the  continuity  of  its  connection  with  my  de- 
caying and  mortal  body  interrupted  for  a moment.  God 
could  create  another  body,  but  He  does  not;  He  evolves 
the  new  resurrection  body  from  the  destruction  and  disor- 
ganization of  the  old ; and  the  connection  and  continuity 
between  them  is  as  complete  as  the  connection  between 
the  ripe  ear  on  the  stalk,  and  the  decaying  seed  that  died 
and  perished  in  the  earth  at  its  roots.  And  it  is  really,  I 
have  sometimes  thought,  an  interesting  inquiry — a thought 
>I  leave  others  to  consider — whether  the  resurrection  of 
the  body  does  not  in  some  degree  begin,  in  the  case  of  a 
believer,  even  in  this  present  world.  The  moment  that 
a man’s  soul  is  regenerated,  scripture  teaches  us  that  a 
present  process  begins  in  the  central  seat  of  the  man, 
which  will  radiate  outwards,  and,  uninterrupted  by  decay 
in  the  grave,  it  will  continue  till  the  trumpet  sound,  and 
the  body  rise  immortal.  For  what  does  our  Savior  say  ? 
When  Jesus  told  Martha,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.’’ 
Martha,  thinking  that  He  alluded  to  the  resurrection  at 
the  last  day,  said,  I know  he  shall  rise  again  at  the  re- 
surrection in  the  last  day.”  Now  Jesus  evidently  meant 
something  more,  for  He  adds,  I am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life  : he  that  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die.” 

May  it  not  be  that  the  regenerated  soul,  even  in  this 
world,  is  laying  the  foundations  of  the  resurrection  body  ? 
May  it  not  be  possible  that  the  regenerated  soul  is  weav- 
ing, even  in  this  life,  the  finer  tissues,  the  more  exquisite 
and  delicate  filaments  of  that  glorious  body  which  shall 
9 


194 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


rise  and  be  immortal  for  ever  ? If  you  ask,  how  do  I 
prove  this?  I answer,  look  around  you.  Take  a true 
Christian,  who  for  years  has  cultivated  purity  of  thought 
and  purity  of  life ; who  has  restrained  by  grace  his  pas- 
sions, who  has  curbed  his  appetites,  who  have  striven 
more  and  more,  by  prayer  and  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  to  be  like  his  Lord.  And  take  now  the  contrast  to 
this — a profligate  who  has  given  scope  to  his  appetites,  his 
passions,  his  lusts,  his  evil  and  his  abominable  desires.  Is 
there  not  in  outward  aspect  a contrast  that  is  unmistakable  ? 
In  the  first  there  is  a calm,  a serenity,  and  in  his  sorest 
aflflictions  a peace  that  makes  his  face  radiant  almost  with 
the  forethrown  glories  of  the  resurrection  morn.  In  ih^ 
second  character  there  is  a gloom,  a repulsiveness,  an  un- 
attractive character,  that  seems  darkening  more  and  more. 
In  the  words  of  one  who  has  written  well  upon  this  sub- 
ject, See  we  not  in  our  neighbors  and  friends  how  long 
habit  impresses  their  characters  upon  their  faces.  We 
admire  and  respect  more  and  more  the  cheerful  counte- 
nance of  frankness,  the  calm  brow  of  contemplation,  the 
mild  serene  eye  of  holiness,  the  beaming,  deep-seated 
smile  of  charity.  We  shrink  with  increasing  horror  from 
the  leer  of  lust,  the  idiotcy  of  drunkenness,  the  scowl  of 
malignity,  and  the  contracted  features  of  cunning  and 
fraud.  Thus  these  announce  themselves  to  be  at  various 
stages  towards  that  final  state  of  the  body,  when  no  longer 
in  a flux  between  decay  and  renewal,  it  shall  be  unchange- 
able and  informed  by  an  unchangeable  mind  to  all  eternity. 
If  then  it  be  true  that  the  thoughts  of  the  mind,  the  af- 
fections of  the  heart,  are  writing  themselves  upon  the 
outward  countenance,  may  not  that  justify  what  seems  a 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PART. 


195 


novelty,  and  which  I have  now  ventured  to  state,  that  the 
soul  of  the  regenerated  man  may  now  be  acting  on  its 
material  tenement ; may  now  be  laying  the  foundations  of 
the  incorruptible  and  the  immortal  body ; and  that  even 
in  this  life  Christ’s  great  words,  which  always  mean  more 
than  we  generally  attach  to  them,  are  strictly  and  literally 
true,  I am  now  the  resurrection  and  the  life ; he  that 
belie veth  in  me  shall  never  see  death,  but  shall  live  for 
ever  ”? 

But  let  me  add  that  in  one  respect  the  analogy  fails. 
The  ripe  seed  no  sooner  attains  its  perfection  than  it  be- 
gins to  decay ; The  beautiful  flower  is  no  sooner  perfected 
than  it  begins  to  drop  off.  I have  often  felt,  in  looking 
round  at  nature,  which  the  apostle  so  stril^ingly  describes 
as  groaning  and  travailing  in  pain,  when  I look  on  a 
flower-garden,  as  if  nature  had  made  one  gigantic  effort 
to  throw  forth  the  evidences  of  perfection.  But  when 
autumn  comes,  all  fall  back  into  what  they  were  before ; 
they  drop  and  decay.  Nature  in  her  mightiest  struggles 
gives  birth  to  beauty  that  no  language  of  mine  can  ex- 
aggerate ; but  that  beauty  is  so  feeble  and  imperfect  that 
it  decays  and  falls  back  into  what  it  was  again.  But 
this  will  not  be  true  of  man,  because  man  attains  a high- 
er life ; he  inherits  what  the  flowers  have  not,  what  na- 
ture has  not  in  its  present  economy, — a lasting  life.  And 
hence  man  will  be  the  blossom  of  creation,  ever  fragrant, 
ever  amaranthine ; man  will  have  the  perfection  of  life  ; 
but  his  life  will  be  so  lasting  because  our  blessed  Lord 
has  said,  “ Because  I live,  ye  shall  live  also.”  That  is 
not  said  of  fruit,  or  flower,  or  blossom ; but  it  is  said  of 
regenerated  man.  And  therefore  man’s  nature,  when  it 


196 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


reaches  its' culminating  glory,  never  falls  back,  like  the 
flowers  and  fruits  of  the  earth,  into  their  original  decay ; 
he  lasts  and  lives  holy,  beautiful,  and  happy  for  ever  and 
for  ever.  I need  not  quote  from  Scripture  evidences  of 
this,  in  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  in  the  identity  of 
Moses  and  Elijah  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration.  This 
is  the  disclosure  of  revelation,  it  is  not  the  discovery  of 
man’s  reason.  And  what  a glorious  body  will  ours  be  ! 
All  its  aches  and  its  imperfections  gone ; the  wrinkles 
about  the  eye,  and  the  wrinkles  on  the  fiice,  that  remind 
one  of  the  brown  sea-sand  from  which  the  tide  of  life  is 
rapidly  ebbing  away,  shall  all  be  removed  ; all  its  defects 
shall  be  put  away  ; the  image  of  God  shall  be  struck  upon 
man  in  all  its  splendor ; every  pulse  shall  be  praise,  every 
action  ecstasy,  every  feeling  peace  ; and  the  second  Adam 
will  be,  if  man  may  be  called  so,  happier,  nobler  than  the 
first.  And  this  great  truth  is  the  distinctive  disclosure 
of  revelation,  on  it  the  second  death  hath  no  power. 
Therein  is  the  evidence  of  what  I have  said  of  man’s  en- 
durance wLen  risen  again,  that  over  him  the  second  death 
hath  no  power.  There  will  be  nothing  in  man  for  death 
to  fasten  on ; there  will  be  no  fuel  for  the  last  fire,  no 
crevice  by  which  Satan  may  enter.  Blessed,  happy,  and 
holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  this  resurrection ; for  they 
will  be  priests  and  kings  unto  God.  What  was  man  made 
to  be  ? The  king  of  creation.  And  you  do  not  need  the 
Bible  to  tell  you  this ; you  have  the  evidences  of  man’s 
kingship  everywhere.  Let  man  look  the  ravenous  lion 
firmly  in  the  face,  and  it  is  said  the  lion,  recognizing  the 
remains  of  man’s  sceptre  and  crown,  will  retreat  and 
skulk  away.  Is  it  not  true  that  though  there  be  much  in 


THE  BLESSED  AND  HOLY  PABT. 


197 


man  to  indicate  he  is  discrowned,  he  retains  many  of  the 
traces  of  his  aboriginal  sovereignty ; and  that  all  nature 
every  day,  under  science,  is  coming  up  to  serve,  and*  sub- 
serve, and  be  the  slave  of  man  ? as  if  God  would  teach 
you  in  the  world  that  there  are  prophecies  everywhere 
that  man  had  a sceptre  that  is  now  broken ; that  he  shall 
have  a sceptre  again  which  shall  never  be  snapped  in 
twain.  And  when  man  is  risen,  he  shall  not  only  be  the 
king  of  creation,  but  he  shall  be  the  priest  of  it.  He 
shall  be  nature’s  eye,  ever  seeing  God  as  the  giver  of  all ; 
nature’s  ear,  ever  listening  to  God  as  the  sovereign  of  all ; 
nature’s  minister,  ever  offering  up  her  first-fruits  and  her 
incense  of  praise  and  adoration  to  God. 

How  sad  and  sorrowful  the  creed  of  the  heathen 
abroad,  or  the  creed  of  the  unbelieving  heathen  at  home  ! 
I wonder  how  any  man  that  does  not  believe  in  the  Gos- 
pel can  look  upon  a grave  without  horror  ; or  can  gaze 
upon  the  forsaken  shrine  from  which  the  soul  is  gone 
without  committing  suicide ; for  of  all  things  the  most 
unnatural,  the  most  inexplicable  must  be  death,  if  the 
Bible  be  a repudiated  and  sealed  book.  But  to  a Chris- 
tian, who  follows  his  dead  to  the  grave,  and  feels  that  it  is 
not  a funeral  march,  but  a triumphant  procession  through 
that  dark,  deep  valley  up  to  the  glorious  sunlit  mount 
that  shines  and  sparkles  beyond ; he  sees  over  the  deep- 
est grave  in  which  he  lays  his  dearest  dust  the  star  of 
Bethlehem  shining ; and  his  ear  of  faith  can  hear,  rising 
even  from  the  depths  of  that  desert  tomb,  these  beautiful 
words,  Yea,  though  I walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me ; 
thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me;”  and  hearing 


198 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


those  thrilling  accents,  he  can  pronounce  a benediction, 
not  for  ever,  but  only  for  a little,  Blessed  are  the  dead 
that  die  in  the  Lord ; they  rest  from  their  labors,  and 
their  works  do  follow  them.^’ 

My  dear  friends,  see  to  it  that  you  have  that  resurrec- 
tion of  the  soul  which  is  the  sure  prophecy  of  this  glori- 
ous resurrection  of  the  body.  The  new  birth  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  germ  of  the  future  ; it  is  the  spring- 
tide  of  the  everlasting  summer  ; it  is  the  seed  sown  that 
is  of  immortal  growth.  Oh,  may  our  hearts  be  opened 
by  that  blessed  Spirit  v/ho  alone  can  change  the  heart ; 
may  we  feel,  what  we  should  most  deeply  feel,  that  the 
burial-place  of  the  human  heart,  in  which  are  so  many 
dead,  must  be  emptied  before  the  burial-places  of  the 
dead  can  give  forth  their  charge,  that  they  may  enter 
into  glory  ! 

This  is  one  of  the  things  coming  on  the  earth — all  joy 
to  some — all  sadness  to  others. 


LECTURE  XXXIIL 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 

But  this  I say.  He  which  soweth  sparingly  shall 
reap  also  sparingly ; and  he  which  soweth  hounti- 
fully  shall  reap  also  bountifully.^^ — 2 Corinthians 
ix.  6. 

There  is  clearly  indicated  in  the  Bible  a distinction  be- 
tween what  is  called  the  first  resurrection,  or  the  com- 
pany of  those  that  believe  ; and  the  second,  or  subsequent 
resurrection,  namely,  those  that  die  in  their  sins  as  they 
lived  in  them.  I have  already  endeavored  to  obviate 
some  of  the  difiiculties  that  occur  to  thinking  minds  on 
the  subject  of  the  resurrection.  The  resurrection  of  the 
body  is  not  the  extrication  of  something  new  from  the 
great  mass  of  humanity  ; but  the  resurrection  of  the  in- 
dividual body  that  fell,  elevated,  ennobled,  purified ; the 
mortal  having  put  on  immortality,  the  corruptible  incor- 
ruption. The  same  body  deposited  in  the  grave  shall  rise 
from  that  grave,  no  longer  pervaded  by  sin,  defacing  and 
disfiguring  it;  but  holy,  perfect,  beautiful;  our  vile 
bodies  fashioned  like  unto  His  glorious  body. 

There  are  traces  scattered  through  the  word  of  God, 
not  few  nor  far  between,  that  evince  that  not  only  in  the 
state  of  the  resurrection,  but  in  the  state  of  the  soul  sep- 

(199) 


200 


Till!]  liRtlAT  TRIBULATION. 


arate  from  tlic  body,  there  shall  be  mutual  recognition  ; 
in  other  Avords,  that  each  Christian  in  glory  shall  be  not 
in  a separate  niche  alone,  without  one  countenance  to  re- 
flect his  thoughts,  or  one  recollection  of  those  from  whom 
lie  was  separated  for  a season ; but  that  it  is  our  Father's 
liouse,  the  everlasting  home,  the  gatliering  place  of  all 
tliat  fell  asleep  in  Christ ; and  that  we  shall  know  each 
other  as  distinctly  and  fully  as  we  ourselves  are  then 
known. 

Is  there  any  evidence  that  there  will  be  degrees  of 
glory  and  of  happiness  in  the  age  to  come,  and  in  a re- 
generated earth?  in  other  words,  is  there  any  connection 
between  what  is  sown  on  earth  and  reaped  in  heaven, — 
between  character  generated  here  and  glory  inherited 
hereafter  ? 

Now  it  may  seem  at  first  that  this  inquiry  is  more  cu- 
rious than  important ; but  if  God  has  spoken  on  the  sub- 
ject. it  is  not  curiosity,  but  duty  to  investigate,  under- 
stand, explain.  If  the  Bible  be  silent  on  the  subject, 
investigation  or  search  is  useless  and  undutiful ; but  if 
God  has  touched  upon  the  subject  at  all,  it  seems  a duty  to 
investigate  whatever  God  has  written  ; for  there  is  nothing 
in  the  Bible  to  satisfy  a mere  curiosity,  but  everything, 
from  the  least  jot  to  the  loftiest  promise,  to  sanctify  and 
make  happy  the  human  heart.  In  the  next  place,  it 
would  seem  to  me  that  while  our  title  of  admission  into 
the  realms  of  the  blessed  is  equally  and  in  all  the  same  ; 
that  is  to  say,  while  all,  whatever  be  their  height  of 
character,  or  whatever  be  the  degree  of  their  attainments 
on  earth,  if  Christians,  are  admitted  into  heaven  by  a 
title  unto  all  and  upon  all,  without  a difference,  by  a 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


201 


righteousness  done  for  them,  not  done  in  them,  through 
Christ’s  intercession,  in  virtue  of  his  sacrifice,  and  by  his 
all-availing  name.  Yet  upon  the  basis  of  a common  title 
of  admission  into  glory,  there  may  be  raised  a super- 
structure of  ascending  degrees  of  happiness ; and  one 
saint  differ  from  another  saint,  as  one  star  differeth  from 
another  star  in  the  firmament.  In  other  words,  while 
there  is  no  merit  there  may  be  degrees  of  grace  on  earth ; 
and  if  there  be  degrees  of  grace  on  earth,  why  not  de- 
grees of  glory  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the  Millennium 
beyond  ? Besides,  shall  it  be  thought  worthy  of  man  to 
explore  all  the  conditions  of  this  present  orb ; and  shall 
it  be  thought  curious  or  undutiful  to  explore  the  revealed 
characteristics  of  the  world  which  is  to  come  ? See  the 
zeal  and  labors  of  men  of  science,  how  one  will  travel  to 
the  Andes,  to  the  Alps,  to  the  Appennines,  and  to  the 
Polar  realms,  in  order  to  prosecute  their  researches  about 
the  structure  of  a bird,  or  about  the  habitat  of  a plant, 
or  the  genus  of  a flower.  How  many  will  dig  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  archives  of 
creation  and  of  this  orb  from  its  earliest  date.  An  as- 
tronomer, in  the  cold  and  frosty  night,  will  watch  through 
all  its  hours  for  the  transit  of  a planet,  or  submersion  of 
a satellite.  And  shall  we,  who  are  pilgrims  and  strangers, 
candidates  for,  and,  we  trust,  heirs  of  a more  exalted  in- 
heritance— shall  we  be  careless  about  its  nature ; shall  we 
be  indifferent  to  what  its  characteristics  are  ? Will  it  not 
be  our  irrepressible  instinct,  if  we  are  on  our  way,  to 
consult  the  map,  to  study  the  geography,  and  to  ascertain 
all  the  bright  peculiarities  of  that  better  and  future 
country — the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  ? 

9^ 


202 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


Besides,  there  may  be  in  this  study  of  the  degrees  of 
glory,  if  it  be  true,  or  revealed,  a stimulus  to  effort  that 
we  need  ; and  very  often  while  one  stimulus  fails,  another 
may  take  its  place.  While  one  man  is  more  drawn  by 
one  attraction,  another  is  more  impelled  by  another.  At 
; 11  events,  whatever  God  has  written  was  written  for  our 
learning ; that  we,  through  patience  and  comfort  of  the 
Scriptures,  may  have  hope. 

Let  us,  in  humble  reliance  upon  God’s  Holy  Spirit,  try 
to  ascertain  what  signs  or  hints  there  are  of  degrees  of 
glory  in  the  age  to  come.  If  grace  be  simply  the  bud  of 
glory,  and  if  glory  be  simply  the  culminating  splendor 
of  grace  ; if,  in  other  words,  the  Christian’s  course,  from 
his  new  birth  below  to  his  introduction  into  heaven,  is  a 
continuous  and  a progressive  one,  it  is  quite  clear  that 
earth  and  heaven  or  our  present  state  and  future  rest,  in 
the  case  of  a Christian,  differ  in  degree  only,  not  in  kind. 
Heaven  enters  into  us  before  we  can  enter  into  heaven  : 
heaven’s  holiness  must  come  into  our  hearts  now,  that  we 
may  enter  into  heaven’s  happiness  when  the  world  is  lost 
in  the  eternity  to  come.  If  this  be  so,  if  we  can  ascer- 
tain that  one  man  seems  in  this  life  to  have  got  more  of 
heaven  in  his  heart  than  another  ; if  we  can  show  that  in 
this  world,  and  under  the  regime  of  grace,  there  are  de- 
grees of  progress,  and  approximation  to  the  everlasting 
lest,  we  establish  the  principle,  and  I can  see  no  reason 
for  doubting  the  transference  of  the  result  to  that  better 
rest  that  is  yet  to  come.  Let  me  notice  some  instances. 
A beautiful  description  of  how  near  one  may  approach  to 
that  better  land  ; or  rather,  how  much  of  heaven  may 
be  condensed  into  a human  heart  below,  is  given  in  his 


DEGREES  OE  HAPPINESS. 


203 


own  figurative  but  eminently  poetic,  I would  add,  mag- 
nificent language,  by  the  untutored  and  untaught  preach- 
er, John  Bunyan.  when  he  says,  in  the  following  words, 

I saw  in  my  dream  that  by  this  time  the  pilgrims  were 
got  over  the  enchanted  ground,  and  entered  into  the 
country  of  Beulah,  whose  air  was  very  sweet.’’ 

Those  bright  anticipations  of  the  future,  which  a 
thoughtless  world  often  brands  as  fanaticism,  are  really 
the  increasing  splendor  of  the  approaching  glory;  merx 
of  great  piety  and  soberness  of  mind,  as  remote  from  fa- 
naticism as  they  were  from  scepticism,  have  on  their 
deathbeds  seen  a nook  of  the  curtain  lifted  up,  and  gazed 
into  the  future  rest,  and  only  fallen  back  from  excess  of 
glory,  unable  to  behold  the  spectacle  any  more.  If  this 
be  reality,  what  does  it  show  ? That  there  are  distinc- 
tions among  Christians  on  earth  ; that  one  man  seems  to 
walk  along  the  margin  of  the  city  that  hath  foundations ; 
another  man  seems  to  bask  at  a distance  in  its  brilliant 
sunshine,  another  seems  to  have  cloud  and  shadow  over 
him ; another  seems  so  far  remote  from  it  that  his  faith 
trembles  on  the  verge  of  extinction,  and  he  is  doomed 
continually  to  cry,  ‘‘Lord,  I believe;  help  mine  unbe- 
lief” If  these  be  facts,  they  are  prophecies  also  ; for  if 
such  degrees  of  happiness  be  realized  in  the  church  be- 
low, if  such  difierences  be  realities  in  the  experience  of 
Christians  here,  it  is  not  unreasonable  nor  illogical  to  con- 
clude that  such  degrees,  distinctions,  and  differences  will 
exist  hereafter.  Must  we  not  suppose  also,  that  such 
men,  with  such  distinctions  here,  were  capable  of  eleva- 
tion to  a glory  or  a table-land  in  the  world  to  come  of 
which  others  were  not?  Would  it  not  seem  as  if  these 


204 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


distinctions  upon  earth  were  evidences  of  varieties  of 
meetness  for  varieties  of  glory  in  that  city  that  hath  foun- 
dations, in  our  Father’s  home,  and  amid  its  many  man- 
sions ? 

Bear  in  mind,  then,  this  very  important  truth,  that  the 
future,  or  rather  the  upper  life,  is  simply  the  continuity 
of  the  present ; grace  is  the  bud,  glory  is  the  full  blos- 
som. And  just  as  our  lower  , life  has  its  childhood,  its 
boyhood,  its  mature  age,  and  its  various  stages ; so  the 
Christian  life,  v/ho  does  not  know  if  he  be  a Christian  at 
all,  has  its  growth,  its  new  birth,  its  youth,  its  ripening 
into  manhood  ; and  death  does  not  arrest  its  development, 
it  only  removes  the  obstructions  to  its  progress.  The  soul 
carries  with  it  into  the  other  world  the  habits  and  S3^mpa- 
thies  of  this.  The  harvest  for  ever  is  the  fruit  of  the 
seed-sowing  now ; the  nature  of  the  future  is  generated 
by  the  facts  and  experience  of  the  present.  Eternity  bas 
no  water  of  ablution,  it  simply  fixes  for  ever  the  direc- 
tion in  which  each  is  to  move.  If  I may  represent  it  by 
a figure,  Christ  is  the  great  centre  of  the  infinite  uni- 
verse ; all  Christians  are  like  radii  drawn  and  approac- 
ing  from  a common  circumference  to  that  centre ; the 
new  birth  is  the  point  in  the  circumference  from  which 
they  start ; all  eternity  to  come  is  the  ceaseless  approach 
to  the  infinitely  remote  centre ; the  happiness  accumulat- 
ing the  nearer  they  approach  what  they  never  wnll  be 
able  to  reach.  Can  we  not  conceive  then,  that  some  have 
approached  nearer  than  others ; and  if  so,  that  one  en- 
joys a happiness  that  another  does  not.?  Can  w’e  not 
conceive  that  one  enters  into  heaven  a babe  in  Christ, 
crying  even  as  he  touches  the  threshold  of  glory,  Lord, 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


205 


I believe  ; help  mine  unbelief*;’’  another  enters  into  heav- 
en, shall  I saj  a giant  or  a full-grown  man  in  grace ; 
exclaiming,  shouting,  rather  singing,  ‘*1  know  in  whom 
I have  believed  ; and  that  He  is  able  to  keep  what  I have 
committed  to  Him  against  that  day.”  Are  not  these 
likely  to  differ  for  ever  ? If  they  do  not,  God  must  either 
violently  advance  the  one,  or  violently  throw  back  the 
other.  But  if  glory  be  the  continuity  of  grace  ; if  heaven 
be  simply  another  table-land  in  the  endless  progression  ; 
then  each  will  enter  upon  that  place  for  which  his  previ- 
ous discipline  has  fitted  him ; and  as  there  were  degrees 
in  grace,  so  also  there  will  be  degrees  in  glory. 

We  see  in  this  world  that  God  gives  distinctions  to 
men,  Christian  men,  that  are  unmistakable  and  indisput- 
able. Some  Christians  pass  through  the  world  unknown ; 
they  have  left  behind  them  no  stain  that  blots  their  mem- 
ory, but  they  have  bequeathed  no  legacy  of  excellence 
that  adorns,  ennobles,  and  dignifies  it.  It  may  be  be- 
cause they  had  not  the  opportunity.  Other  Christians 
pass  through  the  world  like  clouds  big  with  countless 
blessings;  vindicating  the  truth,  spreading  the  truth, 
winning  souls  to  Christ ; leaving  behind  them  grateful 
hearts  to  commemorate  their  march  and  excellence.  If 
then  God  makes  such  distinctions  here,  is  it  unnatural  to 
suppose  that  there  will  be  analogous  distinctions  in  the 
future  ? If  in  this  lower  department  of  his  kingdom  He 
gave  one  double  honor,  and  another  less  honor ; is  it  not 
fair,  and  reasonable  from  analogy,  to  conclude  that 
there  will  be  differences  and  degrees  in  the  world  to  come  ? 
If  God  makes  distinctions  in  the  nursery,  will  He  not 
make,  and  will  they  not  make  distinctions  in  the  heav- 


206 


THE  GREAT  TRIRULATION. 


enlj  palace  ? if  lie  makes  distinctions  among  his  child- 
ren He  is  training  below,  is  it  not  but  reasonable  to  infer 
that  He  will  make  distinctions  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
rest  and  happiness  ? 

God  shows  by  the  very  varied  experience  of  Christians 
that  there  must  be  a difference.  One  Christian  is  per- 
secuted, tormented  ; he  is  in  perils  by  sea,  in  perils  by 
lan'3,  in  perils  among  false  brethren ; his  life  is  a contin- 
uous martyrdom.  Another  Christian,  a true  Christian, 
lives  in  the  sunshine ; his  home  scarcely  has^  cloud  in 
its  sky ; few  bitter  losses,  no  severe  crosses.  Is  it  rea- 
sonable to  suppose,  while  repudiating  all  merit  in  both, 
that  there  will  be  no  difference  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
one  superior  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  other  ? Do  not 
such  texts  as  these  seem  to  vindicate  it?  Our  light 
affliction,  which  is  but  for  a moment,  ivorketh  for  us  a 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory. And  again 
he  says,  If  we  suffer  with  him,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
him.’’  If  Christ  remembers  at  that  day  a cup  of  cold 
water  given  to  a disciple  in  his  name,  and  says  it  shall, 
not  be  without  its  reward,  will  he  forget  the  fountain 
that  has  been  opened  by  another,  and  made  to  overflow 
in  streams  of  beneficence  upon  the  needy,  the  destitute, 
and  the  poor  ? 

Suppose  two  Christians,  equally  pardoned  and  equally 
justified  through  the  full  and  perfect  righteousness  of 
Christ,  are  admitted  into  heaven,  as  saints  in  glory  re- 
tain what  they  had  on  earth,  their  memories,  these  two 
Christians  look  back  upon  the  past.  One  looks  back  and 
sees  nine-tenths  of  his  life  spent  in  ministering  to  vanity 
and  sin,  in  the  gratification  of  the  lust  of  the  eye,  the 


DEGREES  or  HAPPINESS. 


207 


pride  of  life,  and  the  love  of  this  present  world.  On  a 
death  bed,  perhaps,  he  was  brought  to  know,  to  love,  and 
trust  in  the  only  Saviour,  and  to  receive  what  at  the 
eleventh  hour  is  as  accessible  as  at  the  first,  complete 
forgiveness,  and  a perfect  and  a joyous  welcome.  When 
that  Christian  looks  along  the  vista  of  the  past,  can  his 
life  minister  to  him  great  comfort  ? — can  he  see  that  he 
has  been  a great  blessing  ? If  tears  drop  upon  the  pave- 
ment of  the  sky,  a tear  would  surely  drop  from  that  eye 
that  sees  in  the  past  a life  all  vanity  ; while  the  tear  will 
be  wiped  away  when  he  sees  the  infinite  mercy  and  grace 
that  so  wonderfully  forgave  him.  But  another  Christian, 
equally  pardoned,  equally  justified,  looks  back,  and  what 
does  he  see  ? He  sees  the  prisons  of  the  captives  that  he 
visited  with  Vvords  of  comfort ; he  sees  the  hovels  of  the 
poor,  into  which  he  carried  a little  of  life’s  sunshine ; he 
sees  the  naked  whom  he  clothed,  the  mourner  whom  he 
comforted ; and  while  he  gives  all  the  glory  to  grace,  to 
sovereign  grace,  and  takes  no  merit  to  himself,  but  feels 
all  his  right  to  be  there  exclusively  what  Christ  did  for 
him,  not  what  he  did  for  Christ ; is  it  possible  that  the 
latter  shall  not  feel  his  heart’s  pulse  bound  with  richer 
joy,  while  he  sees  in  the  distant  retrospect,  through 
grace,  his  life  was  not  a blot,  nor  even  a blank,  but  a 
lar^e  blessing  to  mankind  ? I cannot  conceive  that  there 
shall  not  be  a difference  in  these  two.  Will  Paul,  wit- 
nessing from  heaven  the  bright  record  of  his  toils,  and 
trials,  and  sufferings  for  Christ,  have  no  richer  joy, 
though  no  more  gratitude,  than  the  thief  upon  the  cross, 
when  in  his  agony  Christ  said  to  him,  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise”  ? Shall  they  that  are  in 


208 


THE  GKEAT  TKlBULATIuN. 


heaven,  who  have  turned  many  to  righteousness,  and 
shine  as  the  stars  for  ever,  shine  with  no  greater  splf^ndor 
than  they  who  have  been  saved  ‘‘  yet  so  as  by  fire,’’  that 
is,  just  in  time  to  find  Him  who  is  the  way  to  heaven? 
But  are  there  not  in  the  Bible  actual  instances  of  such 
distinctions?  Are  not  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  emi- 
nently distinguished  wdien  God  says  for  ever,  I am  the 
God  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob”  ? Were  not 
Enoch  and  Elijah  translated  ? Was  not  that  a difference, 
a distinction?  Were  not  Elijah  and  Moses  on  the  mount 
of  transfiguration?  Were  not  the  three  great  suffering 
apostles  made  the  three  favored  apostles  on  the  mount 
Tabor,  in  that  interval  of  heaven’s  glory  let  down  to 
this  present  world?  If  these  distinctions  were  just  in 
themselves,  such  distinctions  and  degrees  multiplied  a 
thousand-fold  will  be  but  just  and  right  hereafter.  We 
read  of  the  state  of  the  lost  that  there  are  degrees  of 
suffering ; and  if  there  be  stages  of  successive  sorrow 
deepening  still  for  ever,  is  it  not  fair  to  assume  that 
there  will  be  stages  and  degrees  of  endless  joy  ? What 
does  our  Saviour  say?  It  will  be  more  tolerable  for 
Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  Caper- 
naum;” degrees  of  guilt  followed  by  degrees  of  penalty. 
What  else  does  he  say  ? The  servant  that  knew  his 
lord’s  will,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes;  but  he  that  knew  not  his 
lord’s  will,  and  did  commit  things  worthy  of  stripes, 
shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes.”  Does  not  this  imply 
degrees  of  suffering  ? And  what  does  the  apostle  con- 
vey when  he  says,  If  he  that  despised  Moses^  law  died 
without  mercy,  of  how  much  sorer  punishment” — de- 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


209 


grees  of  punishment — shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who 
hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  counted 
the  blood  of  the  covenant  an  unholy  thing?’’ 

How  do  you  explain  these  differences  or  degrees  of 
happiness  ? I answer,  not  by  holding  that  the  title  to 
heaven  is  different  in  A from  what  it  is  in  B.  Our  right 
to  heaven  is  without  distinction  one  and  the  same ; but 
what  we  maintain  is,  that  there  is  a difference  in  men’s 
capacities,  and  that  the  capacity  of  one  is  fitted  for  a 
glory  for  which  the  capacity  of  the  other  is  altogether 
unfit.  It  is  not  in  heaven  probably  that  the  outer  hap- 
piness will  differ ; but  the  inner  power  of  taking  it  in 
and  appropriating  it  will  materially  and  for  ever  differ. 
For  instance,  more  sunshine  falls  on  the  palace  than  falls 
upon  the  peasant’s  hovel.  Why  ? The  sky  has  the 
same  brightness  over  and  around  both  ; but  the  one  has  a 
larger  area,  and  is  covered,  therefore,  with  a greater 
amount  of  sunshine  than  the  other.  More  rain-drops 
fall  upon  the  large  rose  than  fall  into  the  cup  of  the  se- 
questered violet.  Why?  The  same  shower  descends, 
but  the  cup  of  the  violet  cannot  hold  so  much  as  the  rose. 
A scholar  and  a peasant  w^alk  forth  in  the  month  of  May, 
or  in  the  leafy  month  of  June,  amid  the  fields,  the 
forest,  or  the  garden.  Both  see  the  same  sunshine,  both 
witness  the  same  green  trees  and  the  same  bright  flowers  ; 
but  the  difference  in  their  joy  and  happiness  is  prodigious. 
The  peasant  sees,  and  is  pleased ; the  scholar  sees,  and 
appreciates;  he  sees  design,  and  plan,  and  arrangement 
in  everything  about  him ; and  derives,  by  the  superior 
capacity  that  he  has,  an  amount  of  enjoyment  that  the 
peasant  cannot  have.  So  in  heaven,  the  happiness  may 


210 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION^. 


not  be  different  in  itself ; but  each  man’s  capacity  may 
so  differ  that  one  shall  have  an  amount  of  joy  that  the 
other  must  be  a stranger  to.  Dean  Trench  says,  They 
whose  spiritual  eye  is  most  enlightened  will  drink  in  most 
of  His  glory.”  We  read  that  God  will  reward  every 
man  according  to  his  work.”  Now  what  does  that  mean? 
I must  not,  for  fear  of  being  suspected  of  believing  that  a 
man  is  justified  by  his  own  doings,  shrink  from  what  I 
find  in  the  Bible.  Never  be  afraid  of  the  full  statement 
of  each  truth ; for,  depend  upon  it,  every  truth  is  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  every  other.  Whatever  God  has  re- 
vealed is  true,  though  we  may  fail  sometimes  to  see  its 
accordance  with  other  portions  of  the  divine  plan.  God 
will  reward  every  man  according  to  his  work.”  Bless- 
ed are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord ; for  they  rest  from 
their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them :”  ^Mn  the 
Lord,”  their  safety;  their  works  do  follow  them,”  the 
evidence  of  what  they  were,  and  what  they  have  been 
made  by  grace.  What  mean  such  words  as  these  : God 
is  not  unrighteous,  to  forget  your  work  and  labor  of 
love;”  ‘^Whosoever  shall  break  one  of  the  least  of  my 
commandments  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven ; but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them,  the 
same  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven”  ? 
When  Peter  told,  “ Lord,  we  have  left  all,  and  followed 
thee,”  what  did  Jesus  say?  Verily  I say  unto  you. 
That  ye  which  have  followed  me  in  the  regeneration, 
when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel ;”  a text  on  which  Matthew  Henry  says, 
‘‘There  are  here  degrees  of  glory  for  those  that  have 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


211 


done  most  and  suffered  most.’’  Again,  in  Matthew  x. 
41,  we  read,  He  that  receiveth  a prophet  in  the  name 
of  a prophet  shall  receive  a prophet’s  reward;  and  he 
that  receiveth  a righteous  man  in  the  name  of  a righteous 
man  shall  receive  a righteous  man’s  reward,” — the  reco^i;- 
nition  of  different  rewards  in  the  world  to  come.  And 
again,  we  read  in  1 Cor.  iii.  13,  Every  man’s  work 
shall  be  made  manifest  ; for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  be- 
cause it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire  ; and  the  fire  shall  try 
every  man’s  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  If  any  man’s  work 
abide  which  he  hath  built  thereupon,  he  shall  receive  a 
reward.  If  any  man’s  work  shall  be  burned,  he  shall 
suffer  loss ; but  he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by 
fire;”  literally,  ^Svith  the  greatest  difficulty;”  or,  as 
Peter  says,  If  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where 
shall  the  sinner  and  the  ungodly  appear?”  Now,  this 
statement  of  Paul  indicates  that  one  shall  receive  an  ever- 
lasting reward;  that  another  shall  be  saved  with  the 
greatest  difiiculty.  And  upon  this,  Scott,  another  com- 
mentator, perhaps  more  sensible,  though  not  more  pious 
than  Henry,  says,  Some  will  suffer  great  loss  in  respect 
of  the  degree  of  future  glory.”  In  Daniel  xii.  3,  And 
they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  fir- 
mament ; and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as 
the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.”  On  that  text  Bishop  Louth 
says,  ‘‘  These  words  import  that  they  who  have  been  the 
great  lights  of  the  world  shall  have  a more  glorioas  re- 
ward at  the  day  of  judgment.” 

And,  finally,  we  may  draw  the  same  conclusion  from 
the  analogy  of  this  present  world.  All  heaven  will  not 
be  a monotony ; all  the  splendors  of  the  blesssed  will  not 


212 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


be  in  all  the  compartments  of  that  magnificent  domain 
the  same.  Do  we  not  find  it  so  in  this  world?  One 
flower  differs  from  another  flower  in  beauty,  in  fragrance, 
in  preciousness ; yet  each  lives  in  the  same  sunshine,  and 
breathes  the  same  air.  One  star  differs  from  another 
star  in  magnificence  and  splendor ; yet  all  the  stars  are 
moving  in  their  appointed  orbits  for  ever  and  ever.  One 
woman  differs  from  another  in  beauty ; one  man  differs 
from  another  man  in  strength,  in  wisdom,  in  genius.  In 
the  bowels  of  the  earth  the  granite  and  the  gem  are  vast- 
ly different  from  each  other ; one  crystal  is  superior  to 
another  crystal.  In  the  head  and  in  the  heart,  in  the 
attainments  of  the  one  and  the  feelings  of  the  other,  what 
differences  in  different  men  ! In  the  human  countenance, 
what  infinite  and  inexhaustible  variety  of  expression  ! In 
social  life  itself  we  have  the  vast  pyramid  of  society,  the 
basis  and  the  apex ; the  masses,  descending  in  successive 
layers  to  the  foundation,  constituting  the  base  of  society. 
If  God,  then,  has  made  degrees  of  dignity,  of  beauty,  of 
excellence,  throughout  his  material,  his  natural,  and  his 
social  world ; if  God  has  made  degrees  of  happiness,  fit- 
ness for  heaven,  and  enjoyment  in  all  his  regenerated 
church,  is  it  not  the  just  and  legitimate  inference  that 
there  will  be  degrees  of  happiness  infinitely  differing  from 
each  other  in  that  world  which  is  the  complement,  the 
blossom,  and  the  perfection  of  the  world  that  now  is  ? 

These  things  being  so,  let  me  remind  you  of  the  prac- 
tical lesson  for  us,  first  to  take  care  that  you  are  resting 
on  the  only  Savior.  It  is  of  no  use  for  you  to  discuss 
the  probability  of  degrees  of  glory,  if  you  are  a stranger 
to  the  right  and  title  that  enables  you  to  cross  the 


DEaREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


213 


threshold.  Your  first  anxiety,  therefore,  must  be,  Have 
I felt  my  sins  an  intolerable  load  ? have  I felt  that  God 
is  offended  with  me  as  a conscious  transgressor  of  his  law? 
have  I heard  the  joyous  tidings  that  a Savior  descended 
to  my  grave,  and  died  upon  a cross  for  me,  that  my  sins 
might  be  forgiven  ? have  I accepted  Him  as  all  my  title, 
all  my  righteousness,  all  my  salvation ; whose  name  I 
plead  in  prayer,  whose  name  shall  be  my  pass- word 
through  the  very  universe  itself ; whose  work  for  me  is 
my  only  and  exclirsive  ground  of  acceptance  this  day  ? 
Do  I feel  this  ? Do  you  feel  this  ? Have  you  ever  en- 
tertained it  as  a serious  question  ? Is  it  a mere  subject 
that  you  hear  in  sermons,  but  that  you  have  never  dis- 
cussed in  the  silence  and  in  the  secrecy  of  your  own  in- 
dividual heart  ? Till  that  question  is  settled,  till  that 
subject  be  entertained,  pondered,  and  solved,  all  subse- 
quent to  it  is  but  waste  of  words  and  loss  of  time. 

If  paralysis,  now  almost  endemic  ; if  apoplexy,  the 
result  of  the  excessive  excitements  of  a world  exhausted 
beyond  its  normal  obligations  ; if  fever,  or  sickness,  over- 
take you ; if  the  heart,  weary  with  its  march,  stands 
still,  there  is  not  an  end  of  you  then.  There  is  not  even 
in  death,  let  me  remind  you,  a suspension  of  the  continui- 
ty of  conscious  life.  I believe  that  the  moment  when 
your  relatives  look  upon  your  pallid  face  and  say,  He 
is  gone  !’’  at  that  very  moment  you  will  be  in  possession 
of  a consciousness  clearer,  brighter,  more  real,  than  ever 
you  were  possessed  of  on  earth.  And  what  is  that  con- 
sciousness ? To  look  upon  the  face  of  the  Son  of 
God'at  the  judgment-seat.  And,  oh  ! blasting  thought, 
if  you  should  discover  that  this  is  He  that  was  slain  for 


214 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


me,  preached  from  the  pulpit,  pressed  on  my  conscience, 
and  we  dismissed  the  subject  from  the  mind,  and  w^ent, 
one  to  his  farm,  another  to  his  merchandize,  another  else- 
where ! How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great 
salvation  What  a strange  thing  that  men  think  every- 
thing real  but  religion  ! They  seem  to  think  everything 
intensely  important  but  living  religion.  They  seem  to 
have  a notion,  too,  that  if  they  venture  to  touch  religion, 
their  happiness  will  wither  and  die.  It  is  all  the  reverse. 
If  you  at  this  moment  do  feel,  That  blessed  Savior  is 
mine;’’  if  you  do  feel,  ^^I  can  commit  to  Him  my  soul, 
with  its  inexhaustible  prospects  beyond  the  grave  that 
come  life,  come  death,  it  will  be  well  with  you,  that  sud- 
den death  will  be  sudden  glory ; then  you  must  be  happy. 
But  are  you  to  be  satisfied  with  even  this  ? No.  I fear 
that  many  true  Christians  will  discover  that  they  make 
justification  by  faith  alone  in  Christ’s  righteousness,  so 
infinitely  precious,  a substitute  for  charity,  for  meekness, 
for  liberality,  for  love,  for  duty.  Pardon  through  Christ 
is  not  the  end  of  religion,  but  the  preface  to  religion. 
What  are  we  doing  in  the  world  around  us  ? what  are 
we  doing  to  help  the  cause  of  Christ,  to  promote  the  gos- 
pel, to  add  to  the  comfort  of  the  destitute,  the  needy,  and 
the  poor?  Is  it  nothing?  Is  it  little?  It  ought  not  to 
be  so.  If  I were  a physician,  I would  try  to  be  the 
veiy  best  in  England  ; if  I were  a lawyer,  I would  try 
to  be  the  ablest  and  the  most  eloquent  pleader  at  the  bar ; 
if  I swept  a crossing,  I would  try  to  sweep  it  better  than 
any  other  crossing  in  London.  Whatever  my  profession, 
I would  determine  to  excel  in  it.  Let  the  ambition  which 
shows  itself  in  the  things  of  time  be  sanctified  and  con- 


DEGREES  OF  HAPPINESS. 


215 


Becrated  to  a nobler  being  ; and  when  you  leave  this  pre- 
sent world,  let  there  be  a train  of  beneficence  behind  you 
that  will  inspire  many  to  pronounce  your  memories  bless- 
ed. Let  there  be  schools  you  have  supported  ; let  there 
be  the  ignorant  you  have  taught ; let  there  be  the  heathen 
you  have  enlightened;  and,  by  thus  making  friends  of 
the  mammon  of  unrighteousness,  when  you  enter  into 
that  everlasting  rest,  they  will  meet  you  and  make  you 
w^elcome  there. 


LECTURE  XXXIV. 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME 

Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first 
resurrection : on  such  the  second  death  hath  no 
power ^ but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of 
Christy  and  shall  reign  with  him  a thousand  years^ 
— Rev.  XX.  6. 

Let  us  try  to  gather  from  the  word  of  God  what  light 
is  cast  upon  a belief  that  most  of  us  entertain,  but  that 
some  have  doubts  and  many  have  dijfficulties  about,  whether 
in  the  state  of  the  soul  as  separate  from  the  body  pre- 
vious to  the  resurrection,  or  in  the  soul  united  to  the 
body  subsequent  to  the  resurrection,  we  shall  be  able  to 
recognize  relative  relative,  friend  friend,  companion  com- 
panion, with  whom  we  walked  and  took  sweet  counsel  to- 
gether. My  conviction  is  that  we  shall;  my  belief  is 
that  the  soul  of  the  saint  now  in  its  disembodied  state 
holds  communion  with  and  recognizes  souls  of  others  sep- 
arate from  the  body  now  in  glory.  And  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  our  relatives  in  perfect  joy  are  nearer  to  us 
than  our  relatives  across  the  sea ; we  may  not  see  them, 
but  they  may  thoroughly  see,  and  know,  and  understand 
us.  The  state  of  the  blessed  in  glory  is  less  a place,  and 
more,  as  Dr.  Chalmers  called  it,  a condition ; less  a lo- 

(216) 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


217 


cality,  and  more  a state.  And  if  that  be  so,  then  the 
beautiful  Beatitude,  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for 
they  shall  be  comforted,”  may  have  a wider  application 
to  mourners  on  earth  than  we  are  disposed  to  think ; 
they  may  be  comforted  with  the  hopes  of  reunion,  and 
with  the  cheering  additional  hope,  without  which  reunion 
would  be  comfortless,  of  recognition  and  restoration. 

Some  families  in  every  sense  have  their  home  in  the 
future  and  the  brighter  land  ; their  fathers,  their  mothers, 
their  sisters,  their  brothers,  have  all  emigrated — no,  not 
emigrated ; for  we  are  in  a strange  colony,  they  have 
gone  home ; you  that  remain,  like  solitary  trees  in  a once 
crowded  forest,^after  a few  years  will  also  be  transplanted 
and  gathered  home.  There  are  few  families  that  have 
not  a stake  in  eternity  above  us  and  before  us  ; few  fam- 
ilies that  have  not  relatives  beyond  the  grave.  Blessed 
thought ! it  will  be  but  a transient  separation,  the  fore- 
taste and  the  vestibule  of  an  everlasting  and  unending 
communion.  Some  have  said,  If  I could  only  be  sure  that 
those  I have  lost  are  amidst  pjs  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory ; if  only  some  voice  could  whisper  in  some  stilly 
night  from  the  depths  or  the  heights,  it  is  well  with 
them  or  if  they  could  only  speak  one  word,  and  say  it 
is  well  with  us  ; you  think  you  could  be  comforted.  But 
this  cannot  be  : the  Avaters  of  the  Jordan  that  rush  along 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  make  no  audible  music ; 
there  is  at  present  a chasm  between  saints  on  earth  and 
saints  in  glory  impassable  to  either.  We  have  what  is 
equally  good,  a lamp  that  strikes  its  beams  into  the  upper 
and  the  future,  a sunshine  that  projects  its  shafts  beyond 
the  grave  ; and  this  book  assures  us,  in  Avords  as  certain 
iO 


218 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


and  clear  as  a voice  from  heaven,  Blessed  are  the  dead 
that  die  in  the  Lord ; they  rest  from  their  labors,  and 
their  works  do  folio av  them/’ 

But  is  there  a prospect  not  merely  of  reunion,  but  also 
of  recognition  ? First,  let  me  show  the  instructive  feel- 
ing of  the  heathen  on  this  subject,  as  evidences  of  nature 
feeling  a want  that  yearns  to  be  satisfied.  Let-  me  se- 
condly show  what  traces  there  are  of  this  truth  in  the 
Old  Testament ; next  in  the  NeAV,  in  the  teaching  of  our 
Lord  and  that  of  the  Apostles ; and  lastly,  obviate  some 
of  the  objections  that  occur  to  inquiring  minds.  Almost 
every  wise  and  enlightened  philosopher  in  ancient  times 
cherished  the  belief  that  he  Avould  meet  Avith  those  who 
had  preceded  him  into  the  future.  I admit  they  had  no 
revelation  ; I do  not  quote  Avhat  they  felt  as  any  authority ; 
I simply  quote  Avhat  they  said  as  evidence  of  nature’s 
conscious  want,  yearning,  and  desire  to  meet  and  mingle 
Avith  them  that  had  preceded  them  to  the  other  Avorld. 
The  first  I will  quote  as  an  evidence  of  nature  expressing 
its  feeling  is  Socrates  speaking  in  Plato,  when  he  says 
very  beautifully,  Who  Avould  not  part  with  a great  deal 
to  have  a meeting  with  Orpheus,  Hesiod,  and  Homer,  and 
again  to  converse  with  Ulysses  !”  Again,  Homer,  a 
great  representative  of  the  feelings  of  human  nature, 
speaks  of  meeting  in  the  future  Ajax,  and  Patroclus,  and 
Achilles.  Cicero,  the  great  Latin  orator  and  philosopher, 
says,  feel  transported  Avith  ardent  impatience  to  join 
the  society  of  my  tAvo  departed  friends.  I ardently  wish 
also  to  visit  those  celebrated  worthies  of  Avhose  honorable 
conduct  I have  read,  and  to  associate  Avith  the  assembly 
of  departed  spirits  and  Avith  my  dear  Cato.”  Virgil 


KECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


219 


again,  a Latin  poet,  represents  ^neas  as  visiting  the 
future,  and  recognizing  the  dead  that  are  there.  I quote 
these  not  as  proofs  of  the  doctrine,  or  authorities  whose 
verdict  on  the  subject  is  of  weight;  but  as  evidences  that 
there  are  in  nature  instincts  that  are  prophecies ; and  that 
in  Briton,  in  Hindoo,  in  Pagan,  in  Jew,  you  find  a voice 
rising,  not  from  sect,  not  from  locality,  but  from  the  very 
silent  and  secret  depths  of  the  human  heart ; a voice  of 
yearning  and  anxiety  to  meet  and  mingle  with  the  de- 
parted dead  that  is  in  its  place  a prophecy  and  an  earnest 
that  it  will  be  actualized.  The  longing  for  it  on  the  part 
of  the  heathen  is  incorporated  with  many  absurdities,  with 
extravagance  and  error ; but  as  sunshine  broken  in  a 
rill,  though  turned  astray,  is  sunshine  still,’’  so  this  truth, 
distorted  as  it  may  be,  and  mingled  up  'with  absurdity  and 
and  extravagance  as  it  is,  is  yet  part  and  parcel  of  the 
original  and  primal  feeling  of  human  nature ; and  deep 
instincts  in  our  nature  are  prophecies  of  their  own  ful- 
filment and  gratification. 

This  mutual  recognition,  let  me  proceed  to  show, 
Avhether  it  ‘be  before  or  after  the  resurrection,  I believe 
to  be  a reality.  The  resurrection  is  only  the  intenser 
manifestation  of  the  individual,  not  the  creation  of  the 
possibility  or  fact  of  mutual  recognition.  The  spirit  dis- 
embodied and  in  eternal  joy  may  recognise  spirit,  as 
angels  recognizes  angel,  with  an  accuracy  and  an  exact- 
ness far  greater  than  that  with  wdiich  we  recognize  each 
other  through  the  media  of  these  tents  and  veils  of  hu- 
manity in  which  it  is  our  lot  now  to  dwell.  The  fact  is, 
we  see  less  of  each  other  in  the  flesh  than  we  shall  see  of 
each  other  out  of  it.  The  body  is  a veil ; and  we  know 


220 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


that  such  is  the  power  of  mind  over  exterior  matter  that 
it  can  shape  and  mould  the  countenance  to  give  expression 
to  what  is  not,  as  well  as  permit  it  to  give  expression  to 
what  really  and  truly  is.  And  hence  it  seems  perfectly 
reasonable  to  conclude  that  soul  may  recognise  soul ; that 
there  is  an  identity  there  as  real,  as  discoverable  as  in  the 
features  of  the  face,  the  gait  or  the  walk,  the  tone  of  the 
voice,  the  look  and  expression  of  the  countenance.  It 
may  be  in  that  spirit  land  that  a mother  lifted  to  glory, 
wondering  for  a little  if  the  son  she  left  behind  be  with 
her  or  still  in  the  flesh,  may  meet  one  spirit  in  that  better 
land  who  sliall  give  expression  to  his  joy  in  the  language 
of  one  of  old,  I am  Joseph  and  these  words  will 
waken  lost  reminiscences  and  features,  and  swell  the  Joys 
of  the  redeemed  even  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb.  We  must  feel  that  in  the  upper  glory  or  in  fu- 
ture rest  memory  is  not  extinguished.  The  resurrection 
does  not  quench  a single  attribute  of  humanity  that  ^vas 
part  and  parcel  of  it  originally ; it  glorifies  all,  it  annihi- 
lates nothing.  In  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  La- 
zarus, we  read  that  Abraham  said,  Son,  remember 
therefore,  memory  survives  the  grave.  We  read  also  that 
the  rich  man  in  misery  recollected  the  number  of  his 
brethren  on  earth.  If  memory  survive  in  the  lost,  surely 
it  will  survive  in  the  blessed.  The  admission  of  human 
nature  into  heaven  does  not  effect  the  mutilation  of  it,  but 
the  glorification  of  it  with  all  the  splendors  of  eternal 
and  undying  perfection.  And  if  we  carry  memory  with 
us  into  the  realms  of  glory,  surely  we  shall  instinctively 
and  necessarily  recollect  persons,  scenes,  circumstances, 
relationships,  and  associations ; and  as  sure  as  we  recol- 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


221 


lect  them  we  shall  feel  anxious  to  know  that  it  is  well 
with  those  who  with  us  took  part  in  them  ; and  that 
anxiety  to  know,  unmet  and  ungratified,  would  be  a con- 
scious want  in  heaven  somewhat  incompatible  with  the 
perfect  felicity  of  the  saved.  Christianity  is  as  a religion, 
the  mother  of  union.  Sin  is  the  cause  and  the  spring  of 
disorganization  : true  religion  begins  in  this  world  asso- 
ciations,  friendship,  intercourse,  communion,  that  never 
Avill  and  need  not  be  dissolved.  If  Christianity  has  cre- 
ated new  ties  between  me  and  others,  and  it  was  Christian 
to  create  them,  it  is  only  Christian  to  conserve  and  per- 
petuate them ; if  they  be  the  fruits  of  this  religion,  like 
all  its  fruits  they  shall  have  an  amaranthine  life,  an  im- 
perishable glory.  And  again,  natural  ties,  the  ties  of 
parent,  of  child,  of  brother  or  sister,  are  intrinsically 
pure  and  holy ; they  were  originated  before  sin  entered. 
And  if  they  be  in  themselves  intrinsically  holy,  we  must 
expect  that  the  religion  which  sanctifies  all  that  is  natural 
will  perpetuate  for  ever  what  it  has  sanctified.  Can  we 
suppose  that  Lazarus  will  not  know  Martha,  and  her 
sister  Mary?  Will  the  friendship  of  David  and  Jona- 
than be  quenched  for  ever  ? Will  the  beautiful  affection 
of  Ruth  and  Naomi  wither  the  instant  that  it  is  admitted 
into  that  land  where  all  bright  things  never  fade,  and  all 
blessed  things  die  not?  Besides,  there  are  certain  facts 
here  that  seem  to  demand  further  recognition.  For  in- 
stance, some  unseen  benefactor  has  interposed  in  the  hour 
of  your  trial,  and  relieved,  comforted,  or  delivered  you. 
Some  word  spoken  in  a distant  part  of  the  world  by  one 
you  never  saw  has  become  to  you  a ministry  of  everlast- 
ing joy.  Some  great  truths  in  the  printed  page,  set  in  a 


222 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION, 


new  light,  have  struck  your  heart  with  irresistible  force  ; 
you  never  saw  the  person  that  wrote  them,  you  never 
heard  a word  from  his  lips  ; but  if  you  feel  that  what  you 
read,  written  by  some  one  across  the  Atlantic,  has  been  to 
your  soul  a savor  of  life,  will  it  not  be  natural  in  heaven, 
will  it  not  be  natural  in  the  future  state,  to  seek  out  the 
unknown  individual,  to  ask  what  he  is  and  who  he  is  ? If 
they  that  have  turned  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine 
as  the  stars  for  ever,  will  it  not  be  natural  that  you  should 
see  that  bright  star  that  has  guided  you  across  a stormy 
and  a tempestuous  sea,  now  that  there  is  no  cloud  to  in- 
tercept its  splendor,  no  darkness  to  dim,  and  no  space  to 
separate  ? The  desire  seems  to  be  so  natural  that  surely 
the  sense  of  it  here  is  the  prophecy  of  its  gratification 
hereafter.  One  cause  why  we  do  not  see  as  we  are  seen, 
is  that  sin  has  enfeebled  the  intellect,  deadened  the  con- 
science, depraved  the  heart;  but  we  are  absolutely  as- 
sured that  in  the  future  world  we  shall  see  in  a brighter 
light  all  things  more  clearly ; for  in  this  world  we  see 
through  a*  glass  darkly.  Remember,  that  in  the  times 
when  the  apostle  wrote,  the  window  through  which  they 
saw,  or  the  mirror  which  reflected  the  human  countenance, 
was  then  very  imperfect,  and  from  its  nature  extremely 
opaque.  The  apostle  says,  ^ AVe  see  now  through  a glass 
darkly ; but  then  face  to  face  ; now  we  know  in  part ; but 
then  we  shall  know  even  as  we  are  known.’’ 

But  the  decisive  proof  is  God’s  holy  word.  I will 
refer  first  to  the  feelings  of  the  Jews,  as  they  are  indi- 
cated in  the  Old  Testament.  We  all  remember  reading 
the  anxiety  of  Abraham  to  find  a burying-place  at  Mach- 
pelah  for  the  dust  of  the  beloved  Sarah ; and  his  eloquent 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


223 


and  yet  business-like  transactions  with  the  sons  of  Heth 
upon  this  subject.  Also,  the  dying  request  of  the  patri- 
arch Jacob  when  the  time  drew  near  that  he  must  die ; 
and  he  called  his  sons  and  said,  ‘^lam  to  be  gathered 
unto  my  people  ; bury  me  with  my  fathers  in  the  cave 
that  is  in  he  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  in  the  cave  that 
is  in  the  field  of  Machpelah,  which  is  before  Mamre,  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  which  Abraham  bought  with  the  field 
of  Ephron  the  Hittite  for  a possession  of  a burying-place. 
There  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah  his  wife ; there 
they  buried  Isaac  and  Eebekah  his  wife ; and  there  I 
buried  Leah.  The  purchase  of  the  field  and  of  the  cave 
that  is  therein  was  from  the  children  of  Heth.’’  Now 
what  was  the  reason  of  this  desire  of  the  patriarchs  to 
find  one  common  resting-place?  It  was  not  a morbid 
fancy,  nor  a mere  imperfect  human  passion ; it  was  an 
instinct  that  taught  them  that  the  dead  dust  beneath  the 
oaks  of  Mamre  should  one  day  be  quickened  with  the 
pulse  of  everlasting  life ; that  the  dead  dust,  that  can 
still  be  traced  to  the  very  spot  where  it  was  deposited  by 
the  patriarchs,  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  resurrection 
trumpet,  and  shall  come  forth  and  be  the  heir  of  ever- 
lasting life.  But  we  go  a step  further : it  is  said,  Abra- 
ham was  gathered  to  his  people.”  Does  that  mean  simply 
that  he  was  buried  with  them  ? That  is  not  true ; for 
Terah  his  father  died  in  Haran,  and  Abraham’s  body  was 
not  buried  along  with  his.  But  Abraham  is  said  to  have 
been  gathered  to  his  own  people  previous  to  his  burial ; 
and  therefore  it  must  mean  his  soul  joined  the  company 
of  them  that  had  preceded  him  to  glory.  You  recollect 
what  Jacob  said,  I will  go  down  into  the  grave  that 


224 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


is  our  translation,  it  is  properly,  The  place  of  disem- 
bodied spirits  I will  go  to  the  company  of  disembod- 
ied spirits,  to  my  son,  mourning.'’  And  when  his  chil- 
dren tried  to  comfort  him,  it  is  said  he  refused  to  be  com- 
forted ; evidently  his  feeling  was  to  mourn  till  he  should 
meet  his  son  ; then  the  patriarch  felt  he  should  be  pom- 
forted.  The  very  fact  that  he  expected  comfort  when 
he  should  meet  his  son  in  the  place  of  departed  spirits  is 
proof  that  he  expected  then  and  there  to  recognize  him. 
Moses,  again,  was  buried  on  Mount  Nebo : it  is  said  he 
too  was  gathered  to  his  people.  But  his  sepulchre  was 
an  unknown  sepulchre ; it  must  therefore  have  been  his 
spirit  gathered  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect. 
This  desire  to  rest  their  dead  dust  where  the  dust  of  their 
fathers  was ; the  expectation  to  be  gathered  to  them  who 
had  preceded  them  to  glory,  all  assumes  their  belief  of 
reunion,  their  expectation  of  recognition  ; for  it  was  not 
to  a strange  people  and  a strange  land,  but  to  the  com- 
pany and  communion  of  them  that  preceded  them.  The 
memorable  expression,  too,  of  David  is  very  suggestive ; 
v/hen  his  child  was  taken  from  him,  his  first  feelino-  was 
absolute  submJssion  to  God ; but  his  second  was  a special 
spring  of  consolation,  I shall  go  to  him,  though  he  shall 
not  come  to  me.”  Does  not  that  very  expression  of  hope 
imply  his  belief,  that  his  joy  would  revive  because  he 
would  recognise  his  son  that  God  had  taken  from  him  in 
just  and  righteous  chastisement  to  him  ? In  the  teach- 
ing of  our  blessed  Lord  this  reunion  and  recognition  is 
assumed  rather  than  asserted.  It  may  be  said  of  human 
nature  what  is  said  of  the  law,  I am  not  come'  to  de- 
stroy the  law,  but  to  fulfil  it.”  When  Christ  came  to 


RECOUNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


225 


redeem  us,  He  came  not  to  alter  the  essentials  of  human 
nature,  but  to  sanctify,  to  perfect,  and  to  glorify  all. 
When  Jesus  comforted  Martha,  what  did  He  say  ? Not 
‘^He  is  happy;”  that  would  have  been  so  far  comfort; 
but  He  said,  ^‘Thy  brother  shall  rise  again;”  not  simply 
‘^Lazarus  shall  rise  again;”  but  ‘Hhy  brother.”  As  if 
to  show  that  there  would  be  the  resurrection  of  the  visi- 
ble relationship  as  well  as  the  resurrection  of  the  dead 
man.  He  says,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.” 

Speaking  of  the  future,  Jesus  says,  “ In  my  Father’s 
house  are  many  mansions.”  Then  heaven  is  represented 
as  a home  ; all  the  saved  are  under  one  sheltering  roof, 
and  derive  their  joy  from  one  common  domestic  hearth- 
stone. Will  that  great,  perfect,  and  holy  family  be  the 
only  family  where  all  the  inmates  are  strangers  each  to 
the  other,  and  strangers  to  their  common  Father  ? If 
Jesus  recognized  those  that  were  gathered  round  Him 
below,  and  they  recognized  each  other,  is  it  possible  that 
they  should  be  gathered  round  Him  in  glory,  and  one  fail 
to  recognize  the  other  ? When  He  says  again,  ‘ ‘ Many 
shall  come  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and  sit  down 
with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob;”  will  they  be  un- 
conscious in  whose  presence  they  are  ? Will  they  not 
know  that  this  is  Isaac,  and  that  Jacob,  and  that  Abra- 
ham ? Is  not  the  very  fulfilment  of  the  promise  necessa- 
rily recognition,  so  that  they  that  heard  and  believed  the 
promise  may  know  that  it  is  fulfilled  ? He  also  says, 
Ye  also  shall  sit  down  on  twelve  thrones,”  that  is,  the 
apostles ; ‘^judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.”  Will  they 
not  know  that  these  are  the  twelve  tribes ; will  the  twelve 
tribes  not  know  that  these  are  the  apostles  ? And  at  tho 
10* 


226 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


judgment-day,  what  does  Jesus  say?  “Inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  to  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,”  pointing  to 
groups  that  Avere  around  them,  “ ye  have  done  it  unto 
me.”  He  says,  “ Make  to  yourself  friends  of  the  mam- 
mon of  unrighteousness,  that  when  ye  fail  they  may  re- 
ceive you  into  everlasting  habitations  ;”  that  is,  that  those 
you  have  benefited  by  your  wealth,  and  riches,  and  in- 
fluence, may  at  the  gates  of  glory  welcome  you  into  ever- 
lasting mansions  through  Christ  the  Lord  ; and  to  testify 
that  inasmuch  as  you  did  it  unto  them,  therefore  you  did 
it  unto  Christ.  Moses  and  Elijah  appeared  together  on 
the  mount  of  transfiguration;  their  identity  preserved, 
tlieir  persons  recognized.  The  lost  rich  man  seeth  Abra- 
ham afar  off ; Lazarus  in  his  bosom  recognised  Abraham, 
and  Abraham  recognized  him.  Again,  if  we  come  to  the 
epistles  of  the  New  Testament,  w^e  find  equally  clear  proof 
of  a recognition.  For  instance,  Ave  read  in  the  epistle  to 
the  HebrcAvs,  “ Ye,”  speaking  of  the  saved  in  glory — 

“ are  come  unto  mount  Zion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the  liv-  ' 
ing  God,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and 
to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  to  the  general  as- 
sembly and  church  of  the  firstborn,  Avhich  are  Avritten  in 
heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all.”  Does  not  that  im- 
ply recognition,  communion,  reunion  ? Paul,  speaking  to 
his  converts,  says,  “Warning  every  man,  and  teaching 
every  man,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus.”  Does  not  that  seem  as  if  the  apostle 
expected  to  recognize  those  that  he  expected  to  present 
as  the  seals  of  his  ministry,  as  the  fruits  of  his  labor? 
Archdeacon  Paley,  a man  of  no  imagination,  of  no  great, 
or  deep,  or  tender  feeling,  writing  upon  this  very  text, 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


227 


says,  This  affords  a manifest  and  necessary  inference, 
that  the  saints  in  the  future  life  shall  meet  and  be  known 
again  the  one  to  the  other.’’  Again,  the  apostle  says, 
‘‘We  are  your  rejoicing,  as  ye  also  are  ours,  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.”  Does  not  that  seem  to  indicate  that  they 
shall  know  him,  that  he  shall  personally  know  them  ; and 
when  they  meet  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  they  shall 
rejoice  in  the  company  of  each  other  ? Again,  the  apostle 
says,  “ For  what  is  our  hope,  our  joy,  our  crown  of  re- 
joicing ? And  not  yet  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
at  his  coming?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  our  joy.” 
Does  not  this  imply  that  the  apostle  expected  as  his  reward 
to  meet  them  to  whom  his  ministry  had  been  blessed,  and 
to  derive  accession  to  his  joy  from  the  sight  of  the  multi- 
tudes of  theiR  who,  through  what  he  taught  them,  had 
washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb  ? I have  quoted  Paley  on  one  text,  let  me 
quote  another  clear  and  logical  writer,  a perfect  par- 
allel to  Paley,  who  had  no  tender  feeling  or  deep  pas- 
sion, Dr.  Macnight ; in  his  Critical  Edition  of  the  Epistles 
of  the  New  Testament,  he  says  upon  this  text,  “ The 
manner  in  which  the  apostle  speaks  of  the  Thessalo- 
nians  shows  that  he  expceted  to  know  his  converts  at  the 
day  of  judgment.  If  so,  we  may  hope  to  know  our 
relations  and  our  friends  in  everlasting  joy.”  Again,  in 
1 Thess.  iv.  13,  we  have  no  less  conclusive  evidence  of 
the  same  thing.  The  apostle  says,  “ I would  not  have 
you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  them  which  are 
asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have  no 
hope.  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again, 
even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring 


228 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


with  him.^’  Now  wliat  Avas  the  cause  of  the  sorroAV  of 
these  mourning  Christians  ? It  was  the  separation  from 
their  society  of  those  they  loved  and  held  communion  with 
on  earth.  What  would  be  comfort  to  them  ? Not  the 
general  fact  of  the  certainty  of  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  for  they  knew  this  ; but  the  special  fact  that  those 
that  had  been  taken  from  them  they  should  meet  and  min- 
gle with,  and  recognize  again.  The  words  prove  this 
inference  irresistible.  He  says,  Them  which  sleep  in 
Jesus  will  he  bring  Avith  him  ; and  so  shall  we  be  for  ev^er 
Avith  the  Lord.’’  And  again  he  says,  We  Avhich  remain 
shall  be  caught  up  together  Avith  them.”  The  idea  that 
runs  through  that  most  beautiful  passage  is  restoration 
and  recognition  of  those  that  have  been  taken  aAvay ; re- 
union and  restored  communion  with  them  from  whom  they 
had  been  separated.  The  spring  of  consolation  he  opens 
to  the  mourning  Thessalonians  because  of  the  loss  of  their 
near  and  dear  ones  is  not  the  resurrection,  but  the  recog- 
nition, reunion,  and  restoration  of  the  ties  and  bonds  that 
death  had  snapped,  when  Christ  should  come  again,  and 
they  all  should  join  Him,  and  so  be  for  ever  with  the 
Lord. 

There  are  objections  to  this  great  truth,  and  objections 
that  haA^e  a great  deal  of  plausibility  in  them.  First  of 
all,  it  is  alleged  by  some  that  death  makes  so  great,  so 
aAvful  a change,  that  we  cannot  reason  from  any  experi- 
ence that  we  haA^e  below  to  facts  and  phenomena  which 
may  exist  in  heaven  or  hereafter.  I answer,  we  mistake 
Avhat  death  does ; death  does  not  annihilate  a single  faculty 
of  the  mind,  a single  pure  affection  of  the  heart ; it 
operates  no  change  in  the  individual  Christian  Ayhateyer, 


KECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COJVIE. 


229 


except  that  of  transference  from  grace  to  glory,  from  earth 
to  everlasting  heaven.  At  deatli  we  leave  behind  us 
simply  our  sin,  and  at  the  resurrection  day  we  shall  be 
raised  with  all  the  traits  of  an  individual  and  character- 
istic identity ; sin,  imperfection,  tears,  and  headaches  and 
heartaches,  only  being  left  behind  for  the  last  fire  to  con- 
sume. In  the  second  place,  it  has  been  objected  that  at 
the  resurrection  the  change  will  be  so  great  in  our  present 
body,  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  reason  from  what  w^e 
now  see  or  feel  in  the  body,  to  anything  that  can  possibly 
be  realized  after  that  great  and  radical  change.  I answer, 
wdien  the  body  is  raised  from  the  dead,  not  one  fugitive 
expression  on  the  face,  not  one  glance  in  the  eye,  not  one 
tone  in  the  voice,  not  one  feature  that  constitutes  the 
identity  and  personality  of  the  man,  need  or  shall  be  al- 
tered or  destroyed  in  the  grave.  Sin  only  will  be  elim- 
inated— imperfection  and  sorrow,  its  progeny,  will  be 
driven  away  ; but  this  very  corruptible  shall  put  on  incor- 
ruption. Nay,  we  have  evidence  what  it  shall  be ; it  is 
said  in  the  Corinthians,  He  shall  change  our  vile  bodies, 
that  they  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body.’’ 
Have  we  any  picture  of  Christ’s  glorious  body?  We 
have.  The  fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered  ; his 
raiment  was  white  and  glistening ; and  his  face  did  shine 
as  the  sun.”  Now,  here  is  the  photograph  of  Christ’s 
glorified  body.  Well,  our  bodies  shall  be  like  his  glori- 
fied body.  But  did  the  apostles  fail  to  recognize  Him  as 
they  thus  beheld  Him  ? On  the  contrary,  all  the  marks 
of  his  identity  were  there.  They  recognized  the  same 
man  of  sorrows,  that  hung  upon  the  cross,  that  wept  and 
sympathised  with  us,  and  struggled  in  his  agony  in  the 


230 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


garden  of  Gethsemane.  And  when  He  rose  from  the  dead 
himself.  He  said,  Touch  me,  and  handle  me;  and  see 
that  a spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.’’ 
What  is  meant  by  all  this,  if  not  to  convince  us,  not  only 
of  our  Lord’s  identity,  but  of  the  recognizable  and  dis- 
tinguishable identity,  between  the  resurrection  body  and 
the  body  that  now  is  ? But  it  has  been  objected  that  in- 
dividual, and  personal,  and  social,  and  relative  affections 
and  attachments  are  incompatible  with  the  supreme  affec- 
tion and  attachment  that  we  owe  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  heaven.  It  is  thought  by  some  that  all  personal  and 
relative  affections  shall  be  merged  and  lost  in  the  one  ab- 
sorbing and  consuming  love  to  the  Lamb  that  sits  upon 
the  throne.  But  I do  not  see  that  this  must  follow.  For 
instance,  Jesus  had  the  disciple  whom  he  loved — loved 
not  merely  as  He  loves  you  and  me,  the  sinners  He  has 
washed  in  his  blood ; but  loved  as  his  friend,  preferred  as 
as  the  companion  of  his  travels,  and  has  inspired  the 
sacred  penman  to  record  not  the  least  beautiful  and  touch- 
ing proof  of  his  true  human  heart,  The  disciple  wLom 
Jesus  loved.”  And  because  in  tlie  realms  of  the  blessed 
we  may  have  affections  and  attachments  to  each  other,  it 
does  not  follow  that  these  will  weaken  or  dilute  our  at- 
tachment to  our  common  Lord.  The  moon  moves  round 
the  earth ; yet  no  less  than  the  other  planets  round  the 
sun  ; no  saints  in  glory  may  have  their  particular  orbits, 
their  individual  attractions ; yet  no  less  do  they  move  wdth 
all  saints  round  the  central  sun,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 
Our  human  affections  on  earth  are  not  incompatible  with 
our  love  to  our  common  Lord ; and  when  all  shall  be  pu- 
rified, they  will  still  less  be  incompatible.  But  it  has  been 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


231 


objected  that  our  Lord  has  said,  In  the  resurrection  they 
neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the 
angels  of  God  in  heaven.’’  Luke  explains  what  this 
means  when  he  says,  As  the  angels,  neither  can  they 
die  any  more.”  But  because  marriage  ties  are  not  created 
in  the  future,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  friendships,  and 
affections,  and  bonds  of  that  very  relationship  shall  not  be 
remembered  and  realized.  It  does  not  follow  because  there 
are  no  new  ties  formed  there  that  we  shall  fail  to  recog- 
nize each  other  there.  Can  we  suppose  each  Christian 
in  heaven  to  be  like  a monk  in  a cell,  or  a statute  in  a 
niche ; cold,  unfeeling,  unconsciously  connected  with  the 
thousands,  the  teeming  thousands,  that  are  around  him  ? 
If  so,  heaven  would  not  be  our  Father’s  home  ; it  w^ould 
be  the  cell  of  the  anchorite,  not  the  home  of  the  Christian 
son. 

But  it  has  been  objected  by  others — and  this  is,  per- 
haps, the  strongest  objection  of  all,  or,  at  least,  the  one 
the  most  difficult  to  deal  with — that  if  memory  survive 
the  grave,  if  there  be  no  essential  revolution  in  all  its  re- 
collections, that  there  will  be  and  must  be  pain,  sorrow, 
and  bitterness  in  the  future  rest  or  in  heaven ; for  shall 
we  not  miss  there  some  that  we  would  give  all  the  world 
to  mjet  there  ? And  if  we  miss  in  the  groups  that  arc 
clad  in  white  robes,  and  that  are  around  the  ;hrone,  beloved 
ones  that  we  revered  and  loved  with  nature’s  warmest 
sympathies  on  earth,  will  not  that  be  a gap  ? will  not  that 
be  agony,  and  sorrow,  and  distress?  And  how  is  that 
compatible  with  the  statement  that  in  the  age  to  come 
there  will  be  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying,  nor  tears,  nor 
any  more  pain  ? I admit  this  is  the  most  difficult  to 


232 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION 


answer ; but  I submit  what  I think  approximates  to  an 
answer,  if  it  is  not  a perfect  and  complete  one.  May  it 
not  be  that  only  the  ties  of  nature  that  have  also  been 
sanctified  by  grace  shall  survive  even  in  recollection,  in 
sympathy,  and  in  thought?  For  instance,  a Christian 
woman  is  married  to  an  unregenerate  and  an  unchris- 
tian husband.  The  tie  of  nature  ceased  when  the  hus- 
band died,  or  when  the  wife  was  gathered  into  everlasting 
glory.  May  it  not  be  that  this  tie,  not  having  been  con- 
secrated and  baptized  by  grace,  not  having  been  glorified 
by  Christian  light  and  Christian  love,  may,  having  ceased 
to  be  a reality — for  death  separates  wife  from  husband, 
aud  dissolves  the  marriage  tie — cease  also  to  be  a recol- 
lection? The  saved  in  heaven  are  washed  from  their 
sins,  but  they  cannot  forget  the  sins  of  which  they  were 
guilty  upon  earth.  It  will  be  impossible  to  forget,  be- 
cause we  have  memories,  that  w^e  once  did  sin  upon  earth. 
Yet  the  recollection  of  those  sins  will  occasion  us  no  sor- 
row. In  the  same  manner  the  glorified  wife  may  have  no 
pain  at  the  recollection  of  the  lost  husband,  or,  at  least, 
no  pain  from  missing  him  there,  because  that  tie,  once  so 
near  and  dear,  dropped  when  nature  died,  and  is  remem- 
bered no  more.  Besides,  may  it  not  cast  a little  light 
upon  this  very  difficult  thing  if  we  consider  that  th^  an- 
gels that  are  in  glory  must  recollect  that  a vast  batallion 
of  their  numbers  is  now  writhing  in  endless  agony  ? 
Angels  fell;  Satan  is  the  prince  of  the  fallen  angels; 
yet  the  happiness  of  angels  in  heaven  is  not  diluted  by 
the  recollection  that  many  of  those  that  were  once  there 
are  not  there  now.  There  is  also  a text,  Flesh  and 
blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  that  is,  all 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


233 


ties,  bonds,  relationships,  that  are  mere  flesh  and  blood, 
and  that  never  were  consecrated,  sanctified,  or  baptized 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  do  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven ; are  broken  off*  and  cease  there  for  ever  and  for 
ever.  And  we  have  almost  a dim  presentiment  of  this 
from  our  blessed  Lord’s  words  : While  he  yet  talked  to 
the  people,  behold,  his  mother  and  his  brethren  stood 
without,  desiring  to  speak  with  him.  Then  one  said  unto 
him,  Behold,  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  stand  with- 
out, desiring  to  speak  with  thee.  But  he  answered  and 
said  unto  him  that  told  him.  Who  is  my  mother  ? and 
who  are  my  brethren  ? And  he  stretched  forth  his  hand 
toward  his  disciples,  and  said,  Behold,  my  mother  and 
my  brethren ! For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and 
sister,  and  mother  as  if  the  earthly  relationship  was 
absorbed  and  annihilated  in  the  divine  and  the  higher  re- 
lationship of  God.  But  if  it  should  be  maintained  bj^- 
any  that  there  is  no  recognition  above,  or  before  us,  that 
would  not  diminish  these  supposed  sorrows.  If  there 
shall  be  pain,  or  the  possibility  of  pain,  from  the  remi- 
niscence that  one  is  missing  that  we  want  to  meet,  if  there 
be  no  recognition  at  all,  we  shall  equally  fliil  to  be  sure 
that  those  we  wish  to  meet  have  been  admitted  here. 
You  do  not  get  rid  of  the  difficulty  by  denying  recognition 
in  the  world  to  come.  But  besides,  of  this  we  are  abso- 
lutely sure,  that  all  painful  recollections  are  impossible 
there.  We  know  from  our  own  experience  what  may  be 
a presentiment  and  prefiguration  of  it,  that  feelings  of 
grief  at  the  loss  of  near  and  dear  ones,  at  first  most 


234 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


poignant,  almost  intolerable,  gradually  subside  into  resig- 
nation. And  so  it  may  be,  that  missing  in  the  groups  of 
the  saved  some  that  we  could  wish  to  be  there,  our  re- 
grets may  so  subside  into  resignation  to  God’s  most  ex- 
cellent will,  that  we  shall  be  able  to  say,  with  an  emphasis 
with  which  we  never  said  it  before,  Thy  will  be  done 
here,  even  as  it  is  done  elsewhere  in  heaven.”  But  may 
it  not  be  that  as  there  is  a hope  against  hope  respecting 
dead  relatives  which  w^e  feel  here,  it  may  be  in  mercy 
permitted  to  us,  in  the  realms  of  glory,  that  we  shall 
never  be  sure  that  some  we  expected  to  meet  are  not 
there  ? Our  Father’s  house  has  all  infinitude  for  its  di- 
mensions, ail  eternity  for  its  duration  ; and  though  we 
may  not  meet  some  that  we  may  wish  to  meet,  that  will 
not  prove  that  they  are  not  in  some  other  chamber  of  the 
universal  home,  in  some  other  compartment  of  our  Fath- 
er’s house.  But  of  this  we  are  absolutely  sure,  that  we 
shall  have  no  feelings,  desires,  or  sympathies  that  are  not 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  will  and  the  mind  of  God. 
For  instance,  Aaron  held  his  peace  when  his  two  sons 
were  struck  dead ; and  the  brothers  of  these  two  were 
forbidden  even  to  weep  for  them,  and  w^e  read  that  they 
held  their  peace.  So  our  sympathies  and  afiections  shall 
be  so  entirely  moulded  according  to  God’s  holy  will,  that 
we  shall  not  have  a wish  that  is  not  a reflection  from  the 
throne  ; no  desire  that  is  not  an  echo  of  his  word ; no 
want  that  is  not  perfectly,  completely  overflowed  by  Deity. 
W e shall  miss  some  great  professors  that  all  the  world 
would  have  canonized ; and  we  shall  meet  many  a quiet, 
reserved,  almost  speechless  one,  who  felt  deep  thoughts, 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


235 


uttered  few  words,  was  a saint  concealed,  it  may  be,  by 
his  imperfections,  concealed,  it  may  be,  by  his  timidity, 
but  a saint  indeed,  and  an  heir  of  everlasting  glory. 
And  it  does  seem  that  if  you  were  to  take  away  that 
blessed  thought  of  meeting  Christians  whom  we  have 
known  and  loved  below,  relatives  above  wdiom  we  have 
spent  our  pilgrimage  with  upon  earth,  it  would  take  a 
gem  from  the  crown  of  glory,  a bright  beam  from  ever- 
lasting day.  Beautifully,  therefore,  does  the  poet  say, — 

“ Oh,  when  the  mother  meets  on  high, 

The  child  she  lost  in  infancy, 

Hath  she  not  then  for  pains  and  fears. 

The  day  of  woe,  the  watchful  night. 

For  all  her  sorrows,  all  her  tears. 

An  over-payment  of  delight.” 

And  in  that  remarkable  book  by  Tapper,  Proverbial 
Philosophy,’’  full  of  precious  thought,  he  says,  I look 
to  recognize,  through  the  beautiful  mask  of  their  per- 
fection, the  dear  familiar  faces.” 

But  if  you  should  ever  think  of  missing  one  in  glory, 
what  is  the  available  remedy  ? Are  you,  husband,  asso- 
ciated with  a wife  who  gives  no  evidence  of  being  a child 
of  God  ? Speak  to  her  the  sacred  words ; tell  her  of 
the  availing  name.  Oh,  let  not  that  foolish,  stupid,  worth- 
less shame  that  you  would  not  show  as  a soldier,  a sailor, 
a lawyer,  or  a physician,  prevent  you  one  moment  from 
saying,  “ This  is  the  way;  walk  ye  in  it.  Believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.”  And  if  I 
address  a wife  whose  husband  gives  no  evidence  of  grace, 
speak  to  him;  gentle  words,  spoken  in  a gentle  spirit, 


236 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


may  fall  like  the  dew  upon  the  soil,  without  noise,  and 
without  seeming  present  effect ; but  they  saturate  the  soil, 
and  the  beauteous  summer  gives  token  of  its  effects.  A 
word  in  season,  behold  how  good  it  is.’’  I ask,  is  there 
anything  more  worthy  of  being  spoken  of  than  Christ, 
the  soul,  eternity  ? In  a few  fleet  years  the  youngest  and 
the  healthiest  and  the  strongest  must  lie  down  and  die ; 
in  a few  fleet  months  the  aged  must  leave  this  pilgrimage 
of  toil,  this  battle-field  of  conflict.  Surely,  surely,  if 
there  be  one  thought  that  ought  to  dominate,  that  ought 
to  be  supreme  and  overwhelming  till  it  is  settled,  it  is 
this.  Will  it  be  well  with  me  at  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ  ? Shall  I be  among  those  to  whom  He  will  say, 
‘‘  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father”  ? How  is  it  that  men 
are  all  anxiety  about  the  things  of  the  world,  all  apathy 
about  the  things  of  eternity  ? How  is  it,  I ask  in  the 
name  of  common  sense,  not  to  speak  of  the  name  of  Him 
whose  ambassador  I am,  how  is  it  that  the  trifles  of  a 
day  stir  every  passion  and  sympathy  of  the  human  heart ; 
and  that  the  very  world  for  which  we  are  here,  the  very 
end  for  which  we  are  born,  the  safety  of  the  soul,  accept- 
ance through  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  are  treated  as  if 
time  were  eternity,  and  eternity  were  time  ? 

If  you  have  any  one  connected  with  you,  live  Chris- 
^tianity,  speak  Christianity,  teach  Christianity,  and,  above 
all,  pray.  I do  not  believe  that  a child  that  has  been 
the  object  of  a mother’s  prayers  will  ever  perish.  I do 
not  believe  that  a husband  who  is  the  ceaseless  burden  of 
a wife’s  prayers  at  the  throne  of  grace  will  die  eternally. 
I have  perfect  faith  in  God  as  the  hearer  of  prayer. 


RECOGNITION  IN  THE  AGE  TO  COME. 


237 


Pray,  pray,  pray.  And  then  when  your  prayers  are  an- 
swered, they  will  be  lost  in  everlasting  praise ; and  you 
shall  meet  above  them  with  whom  you  held  sweet  com- 
munion below ; and  nature’s  ties,  glorified  in  the  light 
and  splendor  of  the  better  land,  will  be  the  media  of  only 
more  reciprocal  delight,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom 
be  praise  and  glory. 


LECTUEE  XXXV. 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 

And  he  shall  sit  arid  rule  upon  his  throne  ; and  he 
shall  be  a priest  upon  his  throne : and  the  counsel 
of  peace  shall  he  between  them  boihP — Zechartah 
vi.  13. 

The  prophet,  I need  not  say,  refers  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  this  is  the  prophecy  of  what  He  shall  be.  There 
can  be  no  difficulty  in  coming  to  this  decision.  I do  not 
therefore  spend  time  in  attempting  to  prove  it.  It  has 
been  fulfilled  in  no  other,  it  has  been  actualized  in  Christ, 
and  this  alone  as  proof  that  it  relates  to  Him.  This 
spectacle  of  Christ  upon  his  throne  was  seen  by  Isaiah 
when  he  saw  ‘^the  Lord  sitting  upon  a throne  high  and 
lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple.  Above  stood 
the  seraphim : each  one  had  six  wings , with  twain  he 
covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet,  and 
with  twain  he  did  fly.  And  one  cried  unto  another,  and 
said,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of  hosts ; the  whole 
earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  And  the  posts  of  the  door 
moved  at  the  voice  of  him  that  cried,  and  the  house  was 
filled  with  smoke.  Then  said  I,  Woe  is  me  ! for  I am  un- 
done ; because  I am  a man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I dwell 
in  the  midst  of  a people  of  unclean  lips ; for  mine  eyes 

(288) 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


239 


have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts.’’  Who  was  this 
King,  or  Lord  of  hosts,  that  Isaiah  saw?  We  are  in- 
formed by  the  evangelist  John  that  these  things  spake 
Esaias  when  he  saw  Christ’s  glory,  and  spake  of  Him; 
and  those  things  that  he  thus  refers  to  are  the  things 
quoted,  specifically  quoted,  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the 
book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah.  I cannot  conceive  how  it  is 
possible  to  conclude  that  Christ  is  merely  a creature,  as 
long  as  I find  an  evangelist,  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  quoting  a prophet’s  delineation  of  Jehovah,  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  and  asserting  that  vision  and  delineation  to 
be  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I only  wonder  how  the  Unitarian 
ever  gets  over  the  difficulties  of  his  creed : they  seem  to 
me  insuperable ; and  either  he  must  be  gifted  with  su- 
perhuman penetration  to  arrive  at  so  extraordinary  a 
conclusion,  or  he  must  have  badly  read  a book  which  the 
more  it  is  read  reveals  more  clearly  the  impress  of  its 
author,  and  the  deity  of  our  blessed  and  adorable  Lord. 
He  was  seen  upon  a throne  by  Isaiah ; and  he  is  here 
predicted  to  sit  upon  his  throne.  The  expression,  sit- 
ting upon  a throne,”  is  figurative,  but  being  figurative,  it 
must  have  substance  as  its  meaning.  Spoken  of  in  Scrip- 
ture are  several  thrones.  There  is  first  the  throne  of 
majesty,  or  that  universal  sovereignty  and  precedency 
which  Christ  exercises  over  all  the  universe ; all  the  things 
that  are  fair  upon  earth,  all  the  things  that  are  beautiful 
in  the  sky  are  under  his  control  and  subject  to  his  gov- 
ernment. Heaven  is  his  throne,  we  are  told,  and  earth 
is  his  footstool ; he  made  the  sea  and  the  dry  land.  He 
superintends  and  governs  from  that  throne  the  sea  with 
its  waves,  earth  with  its  flowerets,  the  sky  with  its  clouds, 


240 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


and  its  stars,  nations  and  their  people,  thrones  and  their 
occupants,  cherubim,  and  seraphim,  and  children,  all  are 
under  the  presidency,  the  government,  and  inspection  of 
Him  beyond  whose  cognizance  the  greatest  things  are  not, 
and  within  whose  superintendence  the  minutest  things 
ceaselessly  lie. 

But  there  is  also  a throne  called  the  throne  of  grace.’’ 

He  is  exalted  a prince,”  that  is  royalty,  and  a savior 
to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins.”  And  the 
apostle  says  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  Having  a 
high-priest  over  the  house  of  David,  let  us  come  boldly  to 
the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find 
grace  to  help  us  in  thu  time  of  need.” 

There  is  the  throne  of  judgment.  Christ  will  be  the 
occupant  of  that.  We  read  expressly,  The  Son  of  man 
shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory,  and  before  him  shall 
be  gathered  all  the  nations.”  Again,  We  must  all  appear 
at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.”  Again,  ‘‘  He  will  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness.”  And  again,  Christ  says 
from  the  throne,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father.”  There 
is  another  incidental  proof  that  Jesus  is  God.  If  God  be 
not  upon  the  judgment-seat,  where  can  He  be,  or  should 
He  be  ? I could  almost  conceive  God  to  be  absent  at  the 
creation  of  the  world ; I could  almost  conceive  the  absence 
of  a God  in  the  government  of  the  world ; but  I cannot 
conceive  that  Deity  shall  be  absent  from  that  throne,  at 
which  and  from  which  the  doom  and  the  interests  of  all 
flesh  shall  be  adjusted,  all  hearts  laid  bare,  and  to  every 
man  meted  out  the  exact  and  everlasting  retribution  that 
justly  belongs  to  him.  Grant  me  that  my  Kedeemer  is  to 
git  upon  the  judgment  throne,  and  I need  no  text  to  prove 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


241 


that  He  is  God ; none  but  God  can  be  there ; and  if  God 
be  not  there,  He  seems  to  me  absent  from  that  place 
where  of  all  places  in  the  universe  His  presence  is  imper- 
atively required. 

But  all  these  thrones,  we  are  told,  will  be  ultimately 
merged  in  one,  called  the  throne  of  glory.  When  he 
shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  glory,  a Prince  and  a King 
for  ever  every  knee  bowing  to  Him,  every  tongue  con- 
fessing that  Pie  is  Lord.  Unto  the  Son  he  saith.  Thy 
throne,  0 God,  is  for  ever  and  ever.’’  Now  a picture  of 
this  throne  w^e  have  very  beautifully  and  graphically  set 
before  us  in  the  book  of  Revelation,  where  John  says  in 
the  fifth  chapter,  And  I beheld,  and,  lo,  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne  and  of  the  four  beasts,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  elders,  stood  a lamb  as  it  had  been  slain,  having  seven 
horns,” — that  is,  omnipotence — seven  ages” — that  is 
omniscience — which  are  the  seven  Spirits  of  God  sent 
forth  unto  all  the  earth.”  Then  he  says,  And  they 
sung  a new  song,  saying.  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the 
book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof ; for  thou  wast  slain, 
and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation ; and  hast 
made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests ; and  w^e  shall 
reign  on  the  earth.”  At  the  eleventh  verse  : And  I 
beheld,  and  I heard  the  voice  of  many  angels  round  about 
the  throne  and  the  beasts  and  the  elders ; and  the  num- 
ber of  them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands.”  It  will  not  be  a little  number 
that  will  be  saved ; w^e  cannot  agree  with  the  exclusive 
bigot  that  a handful  will  be  saved ; W’e  cannot  agree  with 
the  lafitudinarian  universalist  that  all  mankind  will  be 
11 


242 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION, 


saved ; but  I believe  that,  taking  all  the  generations  of 
the  human  race  together,  the  overwhelming  majority  will 
be  the  occupants  of  heaven,  and  a minority  the  inmates 
of  a prison  into  which  they  rushed  themselves,  in  spite  of 
remonstrating  appeals,  and  where  they  are,  not  because 
God  sent  them  there,  but  because  they  themselves  made 
themselves  fit  for  being  there,  and  for  nowhere  else  in  the 
universe  of  God.  A great  multitude,’’  he  says  in 
another  part.  And  what  did  they  say?  And  every 
creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under 
the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in 
them,  heard  I saying,  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory, 
and  power  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and 
unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever.”  Can  that  be  a hu- 
man being,  can  that  be  an  angel,  to  whom  the  universe 
thus  lifts  anthems  of  everlasting  praise,  and  who  receives 
them  on  the  throne  as  his  just  and  inalienable  due  ? 

Thus  we  have  seen  every  throne  which  Christ  occu- 
pies and  will  occupy ; let  us  now  look  af  the  functions 
which  He  fulfils  as  the  occupant  of  these  thrones.  First 
it  is  said,  He  shall  be  a priest  upon  his  throne.”  Part 
of  the  priestly  office  He  fulfilled  without,  when  He  suf- 
fered without  the  gate,  and  gave  himself  for  us.  Another 
part  of  the  priestly  office  He  carries  on  in  the  holy  of 
holies,  where  He  ever  liveth  to  intercede  for  us.  But 
here  He  is  set  before  us  in  combined  or  conjunct  charac- 
ter, not  only  as  a priest,  pleading  by  the  altar,  but  also 
as  a king  throned  or  seated  on  his  throne.  This  is  Christ’s 
intransferable  glory — that  He  is  a priest  and  a king  at 
the  same  time.  The  house  of  Aaron  had  a priesthood, 
but  they  had  not  a sceptre  and  a crown.  The  house  of 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  felNG. 


243 


David  had  the  sceptre  and  the  crown,  but  not  the  altar,  the 
mitre,  the  breast-plate,  the  Urim  and  the  Thummim,  and 
office  of  the  priesthood.  But  Jesus  combines  all  the  sa- 
credness of  Aaron  and  all  the  royalty  of  David — the 
priestly  office  and  the  kingly  office  welded  into  one.  The 
occupant  of  that  great  and  lasting  throne  in  this  vision 
shall  have  the  altar  and  the  throne  in  one — the  cross  He 
suffered  on  and  the  crown  He  wears  inseparable  in  his 
approaching  reign ; and  this  I shall  show  is  the  spring 
and  source  of  our  greatest  blessings.  Look  at  Christ  upon 
the  throne,  and  the  element  you  feel  must  be  despair ; 
look  at  Christ  upon  the  altar,  and  you  may  want  that 
awe,  and  reverence,  and  godly  fear,  wherewith  you  should 
approach  Him.  But  look  at  the  majesty  of  the  king 
through  the  mercy  of  the  priest,  and  you  will  not  de- 
spair ; look  at  the  mercy  of  the  priest  through  the  ma- 
jesty of  the  king,  and  you  will  not  presume.  Thus  look- 
ing and  resting  upon  Christ  a priest  upon  his  throne,  you 
will  have  peace  with  God  through  Christ  Jesus.  From 
God’s  altar  He  sends  forth  rich  mercy ; from  God’s  throne 
He  sends  forth  direction  and  authority.  Thus  love  and 
law,  justice  and  mercy,  righteousness  and  truth,  are 
brous^ht  together,  and  descend  from  heaven  to  earth  a 
river  that  makes  glad  the  city  of  our  God,  the  tabernacle 
of  the  place  of  the  Most  High. 

He  shall  sit  upon  his  throne  as  a priest.  Now  this  is 
a mark  of  special  dignity,  power,  and  authority.  We 
find  in  the  ancient  economy  that  Aaron  and  the  priests  of 
that  dispensation,  when  they  officiated  at  their  altars  inva- 
riably stood.  Bat  the  distinction  that  is  here  implied, 
that  Christ  sits  upon  his  throne,  teaches  us  that  we  have 


244 


THE  GBEAT  TRIBULATION. 


no  need  of  propitiatory  sacrifice.  It  is  finished.  If 
Christ  were  still  standing  by  his  altar  or  by  the  throne, 
it  would  imply  that  propitiatory  sacrifice  was  still  going 
on ; but  the  fiict  that  he  has  sat  down  indicates  that  all 
the  painful  sacrifice  without  is  finished,  and  that  he  now 
w^ears  the  trophies  and  enjoys  the  spoils  of  his  glorious 
and  blessed  victory.  Thus  in  the  ancient  economy  we  are 
told  by  the  apostle  in  his  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  tenth 
chapter,  at  the  eleventh  verse  : And  every  priest  stand- 
eth  daily  ministering  and  offering  oftentimes  the  same 
sacrifices,  which  can  never  take  away  sin.  But  this  man, 
after  he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sat 
down  on  the  right  hand  of  God.’’  What  a beautiful  con- 
trast ! Every  ^ ^ priest  ’ ’ in  the  ancient  economy ; many 
priests  contrasting  with  this  man  ” — one  priest.  Then 
every  priest  The  attitude  of  servants  car- 

rying on  a process  incomplete ; but  this  man  sat  dovm. 
And  ‘‘every  priest  standeth  daily  offering” — that  is, 
many  sacrifices ; but  “this  man  after  he  had  offered  one 
sacrifice  for  ever”  for  ever  ; that  is,  completely,  perfectly. 
And  these  offered  sacrifices  which  can  never  take  away 
sin  ; but  this  man  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sin  for  ever. 
And  I may  notice  what  I see  is  corrected  in  a later  edi- 
tion of  Bagster’s  Bible — the  wrong  placing  of  a comma 
in  that  very  verse  which  I am  quoting ; and  it  is  one  of 
those  little  mistakes  that  are  of  very  great  importance. 
In  the  twelfth  verse  we  read;  “This  man,  after  he  had 
offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins.”  In  most  Bibles  the  comma 
is  put  after  the  word  “sins;”  and  then  it  is  added,  “for 
ever  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God.”  Now  He  is 
not  set  down  for  ever  on  the  right  hand  of  God ; He  is 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


245 


to  rise  and  come  again.  Every  one  that  knows  the  Greek 
language  would  see  at  once  that  the  comma  should  be 
placed  after  for  ever.’^  And  therefore  this  verse  should 
be  thus  read  : ‘‘  After  he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins 
for  ever,’’ — completely,  in  opposition  to  the  many  sacri- 
fices of  Levi — “ sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God.” 
Unless  read  in  this  way,  the  full  force  of  the  contrast  is 
not  brought  out.  We  have  thus  our  High  Priest,  not 
standing  like  a servant  with  a process  incomplete,  but 
having  sat  down — the  sacrifice  finished,  the  oblation 
offered,  and  no  more  needing  to  be  made  as  an  atonement 
for  sins. 

These  two  oflSces  of  Christ  as  a Priest  and  a King  are 
never  separated  in  his  person,  and  yet  they  are  perfectly 
distinct.  The  inquiry  why  God  should  be  pleased  to 
reveal  himself  in  offices,  is  to  be  answered  just  in  the  same 
w^ay  as  why  should  He  please  to  reveal  himself  in  attri- 
butes. We  speak  of  the  attributes  of  God — omnipresence, 
omniscience,  omnipotence.  So  God  is  revealed  partly  in 
nature,  partly  in  providence.  And  it  is  only  in  analogy 
with  these  and  similar  attributes  that  we  speak  of  Christ 
as  revealed  by  offices ; it  is  the  accommodation  of  the  infi- 
nite to  finite  minds.  Christ  is  revealed  to  us  as  a king 
and  a priest.  It  is  not  the  office  of  a king  to  intercede  ; 
it  is  not  the  oflSce  of  a priest  to  reign.  Therefore  it  is  as 
a priest  He  is  appointed  to  give  remission  of  sins ; and  as 
a king  He  is  appointed  to  give  repentance.  Thus  in  that 
text  often  quoted  you  will  see  a revelation  of  Christ  as  a 
priest  upon  his  throne.  “ He  is  exalted  a prince  and 
savior,  to  give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins.”  A 
prince  to  give  repentance,  which  is  something  created 


246 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


within  US ; a priest  to  give  remission  of  sins,  which  is 
something  declared  without  us.  The  efficacy  of  his  blood 
secures  for  us  the  pardon  of  our  sins ; the  efficacy  of  his 
royal  sceptre  creates  within  us  repentance  or  sanctifica- 
tion of  heart.  Now  let  us  see  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  great  priest  and  king  upon  his  throne,  and  view  Him 
in  both  features  as  he  is  set  before  us  in  the  gospel. 

View  Him  then  first  of  all  as  a priest ; for  we  cannot 
comprehend  all  the  fulness  and  glory  of  his  character  at 
once ; giving  remission  of  sins,  and  ever  living  to  inter- 
cede for  us.  The  priestly  office  of  Christ  is  constantly 
referred  to  in  every  part  of  the  New  Testament  as  the 
great  spring  of  all  the  consolations  of  the  people  of  God. 
Do  you  need  the  comfort  of  pardon — do  you  need  the 
comfort  of  assurance — do  you  need  hope,  and  peace,  and 
joy  ? The  fountain  that  is  open  is  the  fountain  in  the 
house  of  David — that  fountain  of  atoning  blood,  the 
foot-print  upon  earth  of  a high  priest  that  has  passed 
over  it,  is  the  great  source  and  cause  of  all  our  joy,  and 
our  peace,  and  our  comfort. 

He  is  spoken  of  in  the  next  place  as  a king.  You  will 
see  in  his  royal  character  nothing  to  awe  or  to  alarm. 
Because  He  is  a King,  He  has  command ; but  because 
He  is  a priest  as  well  as  a king,  his  commands  are  not 
grievous.  Because  He  is  a king.  He  has  a yoke ; but 
because  He  is  a priest  as  well  as  a king,  his  yoke  is  easy 
and  his  burden  is  light.  His  very  commands  are  royal 
ones.  He  commands  to  us  to  be  happy.  This  is  his  com- 
mand ; that  you  believe  on  his  name.  His  very  law  is 
love ; his  sceptre  is  so  mingled  with  his  cross  that  when 
you  are  thinking  of  the  majesty  of  the  one,  suddenly 


24T 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KINO. 


there  comforts  you  an  apocalypse  of  the  mercy,  and  love, 
and  sympathy  of  the  other.  Do  not  separate  the  two 
great  functions  of  his  character,  and  yet  view  them  as 
perfectly  distinct.  Some  try  to  separate  them ; there 
are  excellent  people,  moral  and  upright  people,  who  look 
exclusively  to  Christ  as  a king.  Those  that  deny  the 
atonement — that  do  not  see  their  own  ruin  by  nature — 
that  do  not  see  their  need  of  a remedial  system,  look  to 
Christ  only  as  a king ; they  hear  his  law,  and  they  say, 
How  beautiful  !”  they  listen  to  his  precepts,  and  they 
say,  How  perfect!’’  and  they  set  themselves  to  obey 
them,  not  to  express  their  allegiance  to  Him,  but  to  win 
their  way  to  heaven  and  to  everlasting  happiness.  Now 
they  that  look  to  Christ  alone  as  a king,  need  to  be  told 
that  by  deeds  of  law,  that  is,  by  obedience  to  Christ’s 
precepts,  no  human  being  can  be  saved.  You  never  can 
get  to  heaven  as  the  reward  of  being  holy  ; the  steps  by 
which  we  climb  to  glory  are  not  those  carved  on  Sinai  by 
the  Ten  Commandments ; you  never  can  strike  a way,  or 
purchase  a way,  or  by  dint  of  force  prepare  a way  by 
which,  and  in  which,  and  through  which  you  can  get  to 
heaven.  Therefore,  do  not  look  to  Christ  alone  as  a 
king;  in  other  words,  do  not  regard  Christianity  as  a 
mere  more  beautiful  edition  of  the  law,  as  a code  of  ex- 
quisite precepts,  as  it  is ; as  a compendium  of  holy  law’, 
which  it  is.  I do  not  blame  you  for  so  regarding  it ; 
but  I do  blame  you  for  so  regarding  it  exclusively. 
It  is  right  you  should  see  Christ  the  king ; it  is  wTong 
you  should  think  of  Him  only  as  the  king.  And 
just  to  take  the  obverse,  you, are  not  only  not  to  look 
a Christ’s  kingly  office  alone,  but  you  are  also  not  to 
look  at  Christ’s  priestly  office  alone.  There  are  some 


248 


THE  GKEAT  TRISULATION. 


people  who  so  look  at  the  kingly  oflSce,  that  they  try  to 
get  to  heaven  by  obeying  his  law  ; there  are  other  people 
who  so  look  at  Christ’s  priestly  office,  that  they  hope  to 
get  to  heaven  in  spite  of  disobeying  Christ’s  law.  Now, 
our  answer  to  the  latter  is,  you  are  not  saved  by  good 
deeds,  but  you  cannot  be  saved  without  them.  The  dis- 
tinction is  broad  ; — you  are  not  saved  by  good  deeds  as  if 
they  were  the  grounds,  and  merits,  and  titles  of  your 
salvation ; but  you  are  not  saved  without  good  deeds  as 
the  fruits  and  evidence  of  your  personal  acceptance  of 
the  Gospel.  There  are  those  who  may  be  called  Anti- 
nomians,  who  look  to  Christ’s  priestly  office  alone,  their 
idea  of  salvation  is  immunity  from  the  consequences  of 
sin ; whereas,  if  I understand  the  Bible,  salvation  is  im- 
munity not  only  from  the  penalty,  but  from  the  polluting 
presence  of  sin.  It  is  human  nature  that  wishes  to  be 
saved  from  the  consequences  of  sin — that  is,  hell ; but  it 
is  a sanctified  human  nature  that  desires  to  be  freed  from 
the  presence,  the  touch,  and  contact  of  sin — that  is  of  a 
new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  A true  Christian  shrinks 
from  sin  as  much  as  from  its  effects ; and  he  cannot  be 
satisfied,  and  he  will  not  be  satisfied  with  a heaven  which 
is  physical  separation  from  hell,  but  not  also  moral  sepa- 
ration from  the  taint,  the  contact,  and  the  pollution  of 
sin.  So  that  he  that  looks  at  Christ  as  a king  alone,  is 
trying  to  get  to  heaven  by  his  own  deservings ; he  who 
looks  to  Christ  as  a priest  alone,  is  making  the  cross  a 
shelter  for  his  sins,  not  the  place  where  those  sins  are 
crucified.  But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  we  look  to  Christ 
as  priest  and  king  also,,  we  view  Him  as  saving  us  not 
only  from  the  consequences  of  sin,  but  also  from  the 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


249 


presence,  the  pollution,  and  the  power  of  sin ; so  that  we 
not  only  get  rid  of  the  fear  of  its  consequences,  but  pro- 
gressively, if  not  wholly  in  this  world  rid  of  the  power, 
and  the  pollution  of  its  presence. 

Interwoven  with  both,  running  through  both,  the  sub- 
stance, the  vitality,  the  virtue  of  both,  is  Christ  God  as 
well  as  man.  Now,  if  Jesus  were  not  God,  he  could  not 
be  a king  upon  his  throne  ; if  He  were  not  man.  He 
never  could  have  been  a priest  or  a sacrifice.  You  will 
find  in  all  his  functions  the  assumption  of  his  Deity  al- 
ways involved.  And  look  at  his  priestly  office : He 
must  be  man  in  order  that  he  may  suffer ; because  suffer- 
ing was  the  penalty  of  sin,  and  our  nature  He  took  upon 
Him  that  He  might  pay  that  penalty.  He  was  therefore 
man  that  He  might  suffer  and  sympathize  ; but  he  was 
also  God,  for  while  human  nature  could  suffer,  it  could 
not  satisfy  while  it  suffered.  His  humanity  made  his 
sufferings  suitable ; his  Deity  made  his  sufferings  satis- 
factory. Hence,  Deity  inlaid  every  thought,  inspired 
every  feeling,  partook  in  every  action,  was  audible  in 
every  accent,  and  toned  and  colored  the  whole  biography 
and  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Look  at  Him  in  the  next  place  as  a king,  and  you  will 
see  how  Deity  is  necessarily  there.  What  is  the  realm 
of  this  great  King  ? One  day  it  will  be  the  universe, 
partially  it  is  so  now ; it  waits  for  this  earth,  the  prodigal 
orb,  to  be  restored  in  order  for  the  whole  universe  to  be 
under  his  sceptre.  But  part  of  his  kingdom  is  the  hu- 
man heart.  Christ  reigns  within  actually,  as  well  as 
prophetically  promised  to  reign  without.  But  who  can 
see  the  heart — who  can  search  it — who  can  note  and 
11=^ 


250 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


meet  its  aberrations — who  can  give  it  a new  and  a holy 
^larity — who  can  sanctify  it,  turn  the  rock  into  flesh, 
and  deadness  into  sensibility  ? He  must  be  God.  He 
therefore  who  is  my  priest  to  pardon  me,  and  is  also  to 
sanctify  me,  must  be  the  maker  of  theheart  in  order  to 
be  the  regenerator  of  the  heart ; and  therefore  God  as 
well  as  man. 

Thus,  we  have  seen  Christ  in  his  priestly  ofiice,  Christ 
in  his  kingly  ofiice,  and  Deity  the  inspiration  and  effica- 
cy of  both.  Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  result 
of  all  this.  The  counsel,’’  the  covenant,  of  peace 
shall  be  between  them  both.”  I argue  from  this  that  it 
is  impossible  there  could  be  peace  between  heaven  and 
earth — in  other  words,  it  is  impossible  there  could  be 
salvation  except  through  Christ  as  a priest  on  his  throne, 
or  a king  by  the  altar ; or  priest  and  king  in  one. 

Two  things  are  required  in  order  that  I can  be  saved. 
What  are  those  two  things  ? That  God  shall  see  no  ob- 
struction to  the  going  forth  of  his  pardon ; and  secondly, 
that  I should  be  willing  on  God’s  terms  to  accept  God’s 
way  of  pardon,  and  happiness,  and  peace.  There  is 
therefore  a double  work  to  be  done  ; a work  without  me  in 
reference  to  God  ; and  a work  within  me,  in  myself,  which 
is  a royal  or  a kingly  act.  We  shall  find  that  the  “ coun- 
sel of  peace,”  or  in  the  more  popular  phrase,  salvation, 
can  only  be  accomplished  by  them  both.  For  instance, 
Christ  as  a priest  offers  up  sacrifice,  expiates  guilt,  pro- 
nounces a blessing ; Christ  as  a king  again  rescues  from 
enemies,  and  subdues  us  to  himself.  As  a priest  He  ex- 
piates my  sin  by  his  blood ; as  a king  He  extirpates  my 
sin  by  his  power.  As  a priest,  Christ  pardons  my  sins. 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


251 


■which  is  an  act  without  me ; as  a king,  He  purifies  my 
heart,  which  is  a work  within  me.  As  a priest,  He  gives 
me  a title  to  heaven ; as  a king.  He  makes  within  me  a 
fitness  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is  as  a priest  that 
Christ  makes  it  possible  for  God  to  pardon  me ; it  is  as  a 
king  that  He  makes  me  willing  to  take  God’s  pardon  when 
it  is  so  provided  for  me.  What  an  awful  idea  does  that 
give  of  human  nature,  that  though  we  know  that  God  is 
willing  to  save  us,  such  is  the  instinctive  enmity  in  our 
hearts  that  we  need  a divine  work  within  us  to  make  us 
willing  to  receive  pardon  ! In  his  priestly  office,  Christ 
restores  me  to  the  divine  favor ; in  his  kingly  office,  He 
restamps  upon  my  heart  the  divine  image.  He  conquers 
and  subdues  to  himself  as  a king  those  whom  He  has 
ransomed  as  a priest.  He  makes  us  his  property  by  the 
purchase  of  his  blood,  He  keeps  us  his  property  by  the 
power  and  sovereignty  of  his  sceptre.  Thus  I can  see 
how  peace  can  be  between  them  both ; namely,  that  as  a 
priest  He  has  removed  every  reason  why  God  should  con- 
demn me.  There  is  no  reason  in  the  universe  why  God 
should  condemn  a sinner  that  flees  to  him  as  a Father 
through  Christ  Jesus.  Do  you  assign  the  law  as  a reason? 
It  is  magnified  ; for  Christ  my  representative  obeyed  it.  Do 
you  assign  sin  as  a reason  ? It  is  atoned,  it  is  expiated ; for 
Christ  my  sacrifice  has  expiated  it.  There  is  no  reason 
therefore  in  the  character  of  God  why  He  should  condemn 
me.  But  you  say  He  is  just?  Quite  so:  He  is  just; 
but  He  is  just  when  He  justifies  them  that  believe  in 
Christ  Jesus.  There  is,  therefore,  no  reason  on  God’s 
part  why  I should  be  condemned,  because  Christ  is  a priest, 
and  has  made  that  atonement  for  sin  which  is  the  grand 


252 


THE  GKEAT  TRIBULATION. 


provision  of  God — a provision  we  reverently  accept,  and 
, shall  never  be  able  sufficiently  to  explain.  He  has  made 
it  possible  for  the  God  that  hates  sin  to  pardon  the  crimi- 
nal who  has  committed  it,  but  flees  to  Him  in  Christ  for 
pardon.  He  has  made  it  true  that  if  we  confess  our 
sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.’’  Thus  then  there  is 
no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  ‘‘Who 
shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God’s  elect?  It  is 
God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?”  The 
lanOTao;e  of  universal  defiance.  “ It  is  Christ  that  died ; 
yea^  rather  who  is  risen  again.”  Thus  the  priestly  office 
of  Christ  has  its  aspect  towards  God ; the  kingly  office  of 
Christ  has  its  aspect  towards  man.  By  virtue  of  the  first 
He  makes  it  possible  for  God  to  dp  what  God  delights  to 
do — namely,  to  save  my  soul ; in  virtue  of  the  second, 
He  makes  me  willing  by  my  renovated  heart  to  accept  and 
hail  with  gratitude  and  joy  all  the  provision  made  for  my 
pardon  in  his  blessed  and  glorious  Gospel.  So  there  is 
peace  : if  I look  to  God  it  is  peace,  for  I see  no  more  the 
Judge  shrouded  in  the  clouds  of  Sinai,  but  I bow  the  knee 
and  raise  my  heart,  and  breathe  the  most  beautiful  words 
in  the  language  of  the  world,  “ Our  Father  which  art  in 
heaven.”  All  that  made  me  shrink  from  God  is  put  away ; 
all  that  made  me  with  the  instincts  of  my  nature  recoil 
from  his  book  is  put  away.  1 shall  no  more  say,  like  God’s 
servant  of  old,  “ We  shall  die,  for  we  have  seen  the  Lord 
but  the  language  is  reversed,  and  I answer,  “ I shall  live 
for  ever,  for  I have  seen  that  this  Lord  is  my  Father.” 
And  so  God  can  look  down  upon  me,  and  see  no  reason 
why  He  should  condemn  me ; there  is  no  reason  in  the 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


253 


law,  there  is  none  in  me,  there  is  none  in  sin ; for  the  law 
is  magnified,  sin  is  expiated ; I am  willing  to  accept  the 
provision  of  infinite  mercy  and  wisdom,  and  therefore, 
justified  by  faith,  I have  peace  with  God ; I can  say  to 
Him,  in  the  language  of  adoption,  My  Father;’’  and  he 
can  respond,  in  the  music  of  heaven,  ‘‘My  son;”  and  if 
a son,  an  heir  of  God,  a joint  heir  with  Christ  Jesus. 

Thus  we  see  where  the  fountain  and  source  of  peace 
is — namely,  between  the  priestly  and  the  kingly  office  of 
Christ,  or  from  Christ  a priest  upon  his  throne. 

Mark  then,  as  inferences  from  this  : first,  the  secret  of  uni- 
versal peace,  the  only  source  of  peace  amidst  the  nations  of 
the  earth  is  the  influence  of  the  everlasting  Gospel.  You 
may  as  well  try  by  Peace  Societies  to  make  sunshine  at  mid- 
night, as  to  make  peace  without  the  Prince  of  peace.  Peace 
over  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  is  not  to  be  woven  as  cloth 
is ; it  is  not  to  be  made  by  diplomacy,  it  is  not  to  be  created 
by  fine  speeches  about  the  inexpediency  of  war ; the  true 
way  to  create  universal  peace,  and  to  render  the  soldier  and 
the  sailor,  the  battle  field  and  the  quarter  deck  relics  of  the 
past,  is  to  spread  more  vigorously  and  speedily  that  blessed 
Gospel,  which  in  royal  hearts  and  in  plebian  hearts,  makes 
wherever  it  is  felt  the  peace  that  passeth  understanding. 
Nations  are  simply  groups  of  individuals  ; and  m the 
present  day,  when  popular  power  seems  to  be  growing  for 
good  or  for  evil,  so  great  nations  will  be  more  and  more 
just  what  individuals  are.  Far  better  introduce  peace 
into  our  own  hearts,  peace  at  our  own  firesides,  and  thus 
peace  in  our  own  nation.  As  nations  cling  closer  to  the 
Prince  of  peace,  their  hearts  will  beat  in  nobler  and  in- 
tenser unison  one  with  another. 


251 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


Let  US  see  in  all  this  that  great  lesson,  that  there  will 
one  day  be  universal  peace.  We  have  faith  in  God’s 
word.  There  is  no  fear  of  its  failing.  Momentary  tri- 
umphs of  Infidelity,  or  of  Popery,  or  Tractarianism,  are 
merely  eddies  in  the  majestic  current,  that  will  soon  be 
absorbed  into  its  waters  and  disappear.  God  has  spoken, 
we  have  confidence  in  his  word.  I am  just  as  certain  that 
the  religion  of  this  Book — the  religion  that  we  know,  and 
love,  and  live  in — shall  overspread  the  whole  earth,  as  I 
am  that  another  sun  shall  rise,  or  that  the  sun  that  now 
shines  shall  set  behind  the  western  hills.  We  must  have 
confidence  in  God’s  truth.  The  church  maybe  in  danger, 
the  altar  may  be  in  danger,  the  priest  may  be  in  danger, 
the  ceremony  may  be  in  danger ; but  true  religion  is 
nearest  to  its  most  glorious  victories  when  its  peril  seems 
to  men  the  most  imminent.  It  is  God’s  truth,  God  is  with 
it,  and  it  must  prevail.  And  the  effect  of  all  this  will  be, 
the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace,  the  effect  of 
righteousness,  gladness,  and  assurance  for  ever.  A day, 
beautiful  as  ever  dawned  in  Paradise,  is  no  doubt  almost 
at  our  doors.  The  last  conflict  is  approaching  ; all  Europe 
will  soon  blaze  like  a volcano.  All  ancient  landmarks  will 
be  obliterated,  thrones  shall  be  again  overthrown,  dynas- 
ties will  be  shaken,  the  awful  tumults  of  the  people  will 
be  heard  again ; but  in  the  midst  of  all  the  Christian  ear 
shall  hear,  ringing  sweet  and  clear  from  the  heavens,  Be 
still ; know  that  I am  God ; I will  be  exalted  among  the 
heathen,  I will  be  exalted  in  the  earth.”  After  a short, 
a dark,  and  a sharp  night,  that  beautiful  day  will  come, 
sweeter  than  thaw  after  frost,  than  sunshine  after  night ; 
when  the  Prince  of  peace  shall  reign  from  sea  to  sea,  and 


THE  THRONED  PRIEST  AND  KING. 


255 


all  creation,  restored  to  its  morning  beauty,  shall  bask  in 
the  beams  of  an  unsetting  and  a holy  sun.  All  sin  which 
rends  creation  shall  be  extirpated,  all  sorrow  shall  vanish 
away,  tears  shall  be  wiped  away  from  every  eye ; and  the 
very  dumb  brutes  will  be  restored  and  be  happy — happy  as 
they  were  in  Paradise.  It  is  said  in  prophecy,  The  lion 
shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox’^ — every  creature  in  Paradise 
was  made  graminivorous.  If  you  will  turn  to  the  record 
of  the  animal  creation  in  Paradise,  you  will  find  it  states 
expressly  that  every  creature  was  made  to  eat  grass,  or  to 
be  what  we  call  graminivorous;  To  every  beast  of  the 
earth,  and  to  every  fowl  of  the  air,  and  to  every  thing 
that  creepeth  upon  the  earth,  wherein  there  is  life,  I have 
given’’ — what?  Every  green  herb  for  meat;  and  it 
was  so.”  Animals  were  not  made  to  eat  each  other.  I 
know  how  difficult  it  is  to  prove  this.  I know  that  the 
naturalist  wdll  say, — The  lion  has  a peculiar  structure  of 
the  teeth ; and  the  viscera  of  the  lion  differ  from  those  of 
the  ox  : he  is  carnivorous,  and  not  graminivorous.  I an- 
swer, probably  God  made  them  thus  in  anticipation  of 
what  He  knew  would  come — not  what  he  caused  to  be, 
but  what  He  knew  would  come — the  Fall,  the  wreck  and 
ruin  of  mankind.  But  He  that  thus  made  them  can  make 
them  again,  and  the  promise  is  that  ‘^the  lion  shall  eat 
straw  like  the  ox;”  and  that  creation  shall  cease  its 
groans,  its  expectancies,  its  woes ; and  be  delivered  from 
all  its  sad  forebodings  ; and  the  stormy  and  the  troubled 
surf  of  this  world  shall  end  in  the  peaceful  calm  of  an 
everlasting  and  an  undisturbed  heaven. 

Are  we  looking  by  faith  to  this  priest  for  pardon — are 
we  listening  to  this  king  for  law  ? Are  we  trusting  in 


256 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


what  He  had  done  as  a priest,  and  to  that  alone,  that  our 
sins  may  be  forgiven  ? Are  we  illustrating  the  sincerity 
of  our  trust  by  obedience  to  his  commands  as  a king?  for 
the  same  Christ  that  gives  us  by  his  blood  immunity  from 
the  results  of  sin,  gives  us  by  his  sceptre  deliverance  from 
its  polluting  power  every  day  more  and  more. 


LECTURE  XXXVL 


OUR  REFUGE  IN  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 

God  is  our  refuge  and  strength^  a very  present  help 
in  trouble — Psalm  xlvi.  1. 

This  psalm  has  been  sung  in  scenes  of  great  tribulation 
for  two  thousand  years  passed  away.  It  is  a psalm  for  the 
day.  It  was  the  favorite  psalm  of  Luther  amidst  the  scenes 
and  storms  of  the  great  Reformation,  and  its  words  were 
the  expression  of  his  trust  and  confidence  when  the  as- 
saults of  men  were  heaviest,  their  threats  sorest,  and  their 
power  greatest.  Whenever  circumstances  seemed  all  but 
overwhelming  about  him,  he  used  to  say  to  his  companions 
in  this  great  cause,  ‘‘  Come,  let  us  sing  the  46th  psalm  ; 
‘ God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a very  present  help  in 
trouble.’  ” 

We  too  are  entering  on  scenes  in  which  the  psalm  will 
have  an  appropriateness  we  could  have  wished  not  to  have 
occasion  for.  War  is  no  sooner  ended  on  one  field  than 
we  are  embarked  in  other  conflicts,  the  issues  of  which  no 
human  being  can  foresee.  The  loss  of  treasure,  the  loss 
of  means,  the  loss  of  life,  and  the  calamities  entailed 
in  1859  upon  the  European  nations  none  can  estimate  ; 
but  we  can  retain  in  the  midst  of  all,  in  spite  of  all,  tri- 
umphant above  all,  our  confidence  in  God,  and  feel  as 
believers  that  our  refuge  is  there,  and  that  he  is  still  here, 

(257) 


258 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


a very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble.  It  is  therefore 
inspiring  to  find  the  Psalmist  lifting  up  his  heart  above 
the  waves,  and  finding  in  every  attribute  of  God  a bay  of 
consolation.  So  has  it  been  with  others  in  the  worst  of 
times ; when  no  hand  on  earth  can  help,  and  no  eye  on 
earth  will  pity,  it  is  a blessed  resource  that  remains  for  the 
believer,  I have  One  in  heaven  under  whose  overshadowing 
wings  I can  find  protection,  in  whose  paternal  presence  I 
can  find  peace , under  whose  all  encompassing  attributes 
I have  a shelter  from  the  storm,  a shadow  from  the  heat, 
a refuge  from  fear,  a present  help  in  the  very  sorest  time 
of  trouble.  Every  attribute  in  God  is  a believer’s  refuge ; 
every  cleft  in  the  Rock  of  Ages  is  a shadow  and  a shelter 
for  a Christian.  If  God  loved  us,  but  were  not  omnipo- 
tent, we  might  never  be  able  to  enjoy  Him  as  our  refuge  ; 
if  He  were  powerful,  but  did  not  love  us,  his  power  might 
be  arrayed  against  us ; and  if  He  had  all  power  and  all 
love,  but  not  omniscience.  He  might  not  know  our  trials ; 
or  if  he  were  omnipresent,  He  might  not  see  our  trials ; 
but  having  all  power,  all  love,  omnipresence,  and  omnis- 
cience, we  can  find  in  him  a refuge  always  adequate,  and 
always  open;  his  great  mercy  bidding  us  welcome,  his 
power  when  w^e  reach  it  able  to  protect  and  to  preserve  us. 
How  glorious  then  is  the  fact,  that  all  the  attributes  of 
Deity  arrayed  against  the  least  of  sins  out  of  Christ,  are 
combined  for  the  protection  of  the  greatest  sinner  that  flees 
to  Him  by  Christ,  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  ! How 
interesting  the  thought  that  this  refuge  is  not  in  the  past, 
nor  in  the  future  Jbut  always  in  the  present ! God  is 
our  refuge,”  is  as  true  to-day,  and  in  the  great  tribulation, 
as  it  was  two  thousand  years  ago.  He  is  not  only  our 


OUR  REFUGE  IN  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION.  259 

refuge,  but  very  present  help;’’  always  at  hand,  alwa^^s 
waiting,  alivays  willing  to  help,  defend,  and  deliver  us. 
He  is  our  refuge  in  all  places ; in  the  secrecy  of  our  re- 
tirement at  home,  in  all  the  recesses  of  the  soul  when  it 
meditates  within  itself,  in  the  sanctuary,  and  in  the  great 
congregation,  in  all  the  intricacies  and  associations  of 
public  and  of  private  life,  on  the  quarter-deck,  on  the  field 
of  battle,  on  the  ocean’s  bosom  and  in  the  distant  desert, 
in  India  and  China,  and  on  inhospitable  shores;  God  is 
there  and  then,  in  all  these  places,  always  and  everywhere, 
our  refuge,  our  strength,  our  present  help  in  time  of 
trouble.  There  is  no  place  so  secluded  from  the  light  of 
heaven  that  his  eye  does  not  pierce  it ; there  is  no  dis- 
tance so  great  that  his  arm  cannot  reach  it ; there  is  no 
sorrow  or  tribulation  so  minute  as  to  be  unworthy  of  his 
sympathy,  and  no  suffering  so  great  as  to  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  consolation,  mitigation,  or  removal  of  it. 
Wherever  a believer  can  go — if  he  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning  and  flee  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth ; if 
he  say,  Perad venture  the  darkness  will  cover  me  ;”  if  he 
ascend  into  heaven ; wherever  he  is,  he  finds  in  his  own 
heart  a presence  that  cheers  him  in  sorrow,  strengthens 
him  in  trouble,  refreshes  him  in  trial,  and  makes  him  more 
than  conqueror  through  him  that  loved  him  and  gave  him- 
self for  him. 

Not  only  is  God  our  refuge  in  all  places,  but  in  all 
seasons.  In  the  season  of  youth,  to  guide  us,  to  save  us 
in  its  slippery  paths  from  falling,  and  to  conduct  us  safely 
up  to  man ; in  the  season  of  old  age,  when  the  strong 
men  bow  themselves,  and  the  golden  bowl  gives  notice 
that  soon  it  will  be  broken  at  the  fountain,  and  the  grass- 


260 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


hopper  IS  a burden,  and  desire  fails — even  then,  to  gray 
hairs  and  old  age,  God  is  a refuge  and  a present  help. 
In  seasons  of  suffering,  of  losses,  and  crosses,  and  painful 
trials — in  all  the  ripples  of  solitary  sorrow,  in  the  over- 
whelming torrent  of  national  distress,  God  is  to  them 
that  seek  Him,  and  lift  their  hearts  to  Him,  a refuge  to 
which  they  may  have  recourse,  a present  help  on  which 
they  may  lean,  a strength  made  perfect  in  weakness,  that 
fails  not  in  the  least,  and  falters  not  in  the  worst  of  trials. 

Thus  present  is  God  our  refuge  and  our  strength,  in  all 
the  attributes  of  his  nature, — his  mercy  forgives  us,  and 
is  a refuge  from  the  guilt  of  sin ; his  justice  acquits  us, 
his  grace  saves  us  ; all  that  He  is  in  Christ  is  a refuge,  a 
shelter,  a trust,  and  a support  to  the  humblest  believer. 
And  when  we  flee  to  Him,  all  things  instantly  assume  an 
altered  aspect,  a different  relationship  to  us  who  have  fled 
for  refuge,  and  laid  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  us. 
To  the  prisoner  for  Christ’s  sake,  the  prison  glows  with 
all  the  beauty  and  the  glory  of  a royal  palace.  Suffering 
has  lost  its  sting  when  it  touches  a believer.  In  his  case, 
bereavement,  and  poverty,  and  loss,  and  trial  are  pain- 
ful, but  they  are  not  penal.  This  refuge  does  not  shelter 
us  in  this  world  from  the  ordinary  incidents  of  a fallen 
world ; but  it  lets  no  incident  touch  us  until  the  penal 
element  has  been  extracted  from  it,  and  it  has  received  a 
commission  from  the  Throne  not  to  hurt,  but  to  work  for 
good  to  him  that  loves  God,  and  is  called  according  to  his 
purpose.  The  fiery  furnace  became  as  a garden  to  the 
Hebrew  youths ; and  its  heated  floor  as  a bed  of  roses. 
Wherever  we  have  God  our  refuge,  our  present  help, 
there  we  can  say,  with  no  feigned  lirs,  ‘‘It  is  good  f()r 


OUR  REFUGE  IN  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION.  261 


me  to  be  aifflicted  ; and  though  no  tribulation  for  the  pre- 
sent seemeth  joyous,  yet  I am  sure  it  is  working  out  the 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness,  to  them  that  are  exer- 
cised thereby.’’  When  God  is  our  refuge,  and  our 
strength,  and  our  present  help  in  time  of  trouble.  He 
sanctifies  all  we  have  remaining  that  is  good,  and  He  be- 
comes more  than  a substitute  compensating  for  the  absence 
of  all  that  has  left  us.  If  all  the  trees  of  our  garden 
are  cut  down,  but  the  tree  of  life  still  remains,  we  have 
shadow  from  the  heat,  and  its  pleasant  fruits  still  to  par- 
take of  God's  presence  adapts  itself  to  every  taste,  and 
every  Christian  derives  from  his  presence  that  which 
suits  his  case,  supplies  his  wants,  pleases  hJs  taste,  and 
fills  his  longing  soul,  in  the  language  of  the  Psalmist,  as 
with  marrow  and  with  fatness.  When  all  else  is  gone, 
and  we  have  nothing  left,  God  is  more  than  a compensa- 
tion for  all.  One  sun  is  better  than  a thousand  stars ; 
the  riches  of  Christ  are  realities,  the  riches  of  the  world 
are  phantoms  The  things  unseen  are  real,  the  things 
seen  are  shadowy  and  ephemeral.  No  man  who  is  a 
Christian  can  be  overwhelmed  by  the  greatest  losses  ; no 
man  who  is  not  a Christian  can  fail  to  suffer,  and  suffer 
severely,  even  from  the  least  of  the  daily  losses  that  be- 
fall us  in  this  present  w^orld.  It  is  when  a man  can  find 
a constant  refuge  in  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  a present 
help  in  the  strength  of  Omnipotence,  that  his  severest 
losses  part  wdth  three-fourths  of  their  severity,  and  his 
ordinary  losses  are  altogether  unfelt.  And  when  all  take 
wings  and  leaves  him  desolate  and  alone,  he  feels  he  is 
not  alone ; for  He  in  whom  he  has  all,  and  from  whom  he 


262 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


derived  all,  and  whose  hand  has  taken  what  He  gave,  is 
still  his  present  help  in  this  his  time  of  trouble. 

What  in  our  case  are  the  individual  trials,  afflictions, 
sufferings,  that  as  individuals  we  now  feel  ? I speak  not 
of  national  or  public,  but  of  private  and  of  personal  suf- 
ferings. Are  we  under  deep  convictions  of  sin  ? Do  we 
feel  in  all  its  poignancy,  I am  guilty  before  God?’’ 
We  have  a refuge  to  go  to ; not  that  our  sin  may  be  ca- 
nonized, and  we  and  it  go  forth  again  to  live  together ; 
but  that  there  the  guilt  of  our  sin  may  be  washed  away, 
and  we  justified  freely  by  the  righteousness  of  One  who 
was  made  righteousness  to  us,  in  whom  w^e  find  a refuge 
from  the  guilt  of  our  sin,  and  go  forth  accepted  and  ac- 
quitted, hating  what  is  forgiven,  and  praising  the  unmerit- 
ed mercy  that  graciously  forgave  it. 

Are  you  harassed  with  temptations,  trials,  and  evil 
thoughts,  suggestions,  propensities,  desires?  There  is 
but  one  refuge  in  which  you  may  leave  them  ; there  is 
but  one  shelter  from  the  angry  and  the  scorching  shower ; 
there  is  but  one  to  whom  you  can  have  recourse  as  to  the 
clefts  of  a rock  that  is  mightier  than  you.  God  is  your 
refuge,  in  Him  alone  can  you  find  shelter,  there  alone 
will  every  arrow  strike  only  to  recoil  broken  and  blunted ; 
there  alone  you  will  hear  those  blessed  words,  Satan 
hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat ; 
but  I have  prayed  for  you,  that  your  faith  fail  not.” 
Your  trials  will  purify  and  humble  you ; but  they  will 
not  destroy  or  even  endanger  you. 

Have  you  the  feeling  that  God  has  forsaken  you,  that 
your  God  has  forgotten  you,  as  many  a Christian  has  said 


OUR  REFUGE  IN  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION.  263 


before  ? You  must  remember  that,  because  you  have  not 
the  conscious  signs  of  the  nearness  of  this  presence  always, 
it  may  not  be  the  less  near,  less  real,  on  that  account. 
There  is  daylight  when  there  is  no  sunlight ; ceaseless 
sunlight  would  not  be  good,  daylight  is  better  and  softer 
than  sunlight,  and  more  expedient  for  us.  God  may 
withdraw  from  us  his  comforting  presence,  though  He 
will  never  withdraw  from  us  his  sustaining  presence. 
God  may  not  be  a present  comfort  even  when  He  is  most 
felt  as  a present  help ; but  He  never  ceases  to  be  your 
refuge,  even  when  your  faith  falters  and  your  confidence 
fails ; He  changes  not,  you  change ; the  cloud  is  not 
down  from  Him.  but  up  from  you.  The  cloud  will  not 
last  forever ; it  will  be  dissolved  and  scattered,  and  the 
sunshine  of  his  countenance  will  be  lifted  up  upon  his  be- 
lieving and  adopted  child  ; for  He  will  never  leave  you. 
He  will  never  forsake  you.  Are  you  surrounded  Avitli 
great  troubles,  vexed  with  cares,  oppressed  by  many 
anxieties ; fears  within  and  fightings  without ; dark  re- 
miniscences behind,  gloomy  prospects  before  ; and  do  you 
fancy  that  all  these  things  are  against  you  ? jMay  not 
your  case  be  that  of  the  ancient  Patriarch?  He  said, 
Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not,  and  ye  will  take 
Benjamin  away;  all  these  things  are  against  me.'’  There 
was  not  one  word  of  truth  in  Avliat  he  said  Joseph  was, 
and  Simeon  was,  and  Benjamin  was  only  taken  away  as 
a pledge  ; and  all  these  things,  instead  of  being  against 
him,  were  all  truly  working  for  him.  The  hand  of  God 
may  be  against  a believer  when  the  heart  of  God  is  full 
of  sympathy  with  him.  You  may  be  a son  of  God,  and 
yet  you  may  be  sorrowful.  A beggar,  without  sixpence 


264 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


upon  earth,  may  be  an  heir  of  glory  in  splendid  and  cer- 
tain reversion.  It  is  not  by  sense  that  we  walk,  but  by 
faith.  Our  treasure  is  not  here,  but  beyond  the  sky ; 
and  the  sorest  trials  may  be  part  tod  parcel  of  that  pa- 
ternal discipline  which  is  preparing  a child  for  his  home, 
a son  for  the  presence  of  his  Father  in  heaven.  Thus  a 
believer,  everywhere  and  always,  in  all  time  of  his 
wealth,  in  all  time  of  his  tribulation,  in  the  hour  of 
death,  and  in  the  day  of  judgment,  may  say,  may  sing, 
with  ecstacy  and  triumph,  God  is  my  refuge  and  my 
strength,  my  very  present  help  in  this  and  every  time  of 
trouble.’’ 

What  is  needed  to  enable  us  to  see  all  this?  The 
great  want  in  us  all  is  faith.  We  believe  ; Lord  help 
our  unbelief”  Faith  is  to  a Christian  what  sense  is  to 
a natural  man ; and  the  objects  believed  on  are  as  real 
to  faith  as  the  objects  seen  and  heard  are  to  sense  and 
hearing.  What  we  need,  therefore,  to  be  able  to  realize 
all  the  peace  and  all  the  repose  that  spring  from  the  con- 
viction in  the  text,  is  just  that  faith  which  man  can  de- 
fine, but  which  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  alone  can  implant 
in  the  heart.  Faith  shows  us  God  is ; history  tells  us 
God  was  ; prophecy  tells  us  God  will  be ; faith  reveals 
to  us  God  is  ; and  not  only  is,  but  is  related  to  us  ; and 
not  only  is  related  to  us,  but  works  for  us,  watching  over 
us,  ordering  all  things  for  our  good ; making  the  most 
painful  things  subserve  our  interests,  the  most  cross  things 
contribute  to  our  progress ; melting  the  largest  obstruc- 
tions into  impulses  and  elements  of  advancement  from 
grace  to  glory,  till  we  appear  before  God  in  Sion.  And 
faith  not  only  reveals  God  is,  not  only  is  thus  the  evi- 


OUR  REFUGE  IN  THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION.  265 


(ience  of  things  not  seen,  but  faith  is  the  appropriating 
grace.  When  I have  faith,  divine  faith,  implanted  in  my 
heart,  I not  only  see  God,  but  I take  hold  of  God ; I not 
only  can  see  God  is  a refuge — faith  can  reveal  that — but 
I can  see  also  and  say  by  faith,  “ God  is  my  refuge  and 
my  strength,  and  my  present  help  in  all  time  of  trouble. 
Nay,  faith  can  enable  me  to  say,  ‘'All  things  are  mine  ; 
Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things 
past,  or  things  present,  or  things  to  come — all  are  mine, 
for  I am  Christ’s,  and  Christ  is  God’s.”  Faith  also  can 
enable  us,  not  only  to  see  all  these  things  ours,  but  to 
see  God,  and  all  that  is  in  God,  very  near.  Faith  brings 
near.  When  I see  an  object,  I see  its  shape,  its  form, 
its  dimensions  as  clearly  at  the  distance  of  a hundred 
feet,  as  if  the  sense  of  touch  could  enable  me  to  measure 
and  ascertain  its  form.  So  faith  brings  distant  things 
near  ; it  brings  God  near,  eternity  near,  heaven  near, 
the  judgment-seat  near ; and  these  things  brought  near 
to  me  become  the  very  atmosphere  I breathe,  the  very 
food  I live  on,  the  constant  and  ceaseless  companions  of 
my  progress  through  this  world  to  a brighter  and  a better 
beyond  it. 

Can  we  then  say,  God  is  our  refuge  ? Can  we  say, 
not  in  sunshine,  but  in  shadow.  He  is  our  present  help  in 
time  of  trouble  ? Do  we  believe  this  trutli,  do  we  live 
on  it  ? Our  belief  in  it  is  measured  by  the  trust  and  the 
pressure  we  can  lay  upon  it,  by  the  amount  of  peace  and 
joy  we  can  derive  from  it.  That  man  in  whose  heart’s 
experience  this  truth  is  the  greatest,  most  continuous, 
shaping,  coloring  reality,  is  the  man  who  believes  most, 
who  has  the  greatest  confidence  in  God  as  our  refuge  and 
12 


266 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


our  strength,  our  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble. 
Faith  in  mathematics,  in  science,  is  a natural  gift ; faith 
in  Christ,  as  God  our  refuge,  is  a divine  grace.  Nature 
has  left  us  the  faith  that  concludes  in  the  discoveries 
of  science ; grace  is  ever  ready  to  give  us  the  faith 
that  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen. 


LECTURE  XXXVIL 


BE  STILL. 

Be  stilly  and  know  that  lam  God:  I will  be  exalte 
ed  among  the  heathen^  I will  he  exalted  in  the  earth?’' 
Psalm  xlvi.  10. 

The  forty-sixth  psalm  is  evidently  from  first  to  last 
a military  or  a war  song.  It  assumes  tribulation,  war- 
fare, in  the  midst  of  the  world ; and  it  points  the  Chris- 
tian to  his  refuge,  his  safe  and  blessed  retreat,  amidst  the 
war  storms  gathering  from  the  distant  horizon.  God  is 
not  only  our  refuge,  but  He  is  also  with  us.  He  mak- 
eth  wars  to  cease  unto  the  end  of  the  earth  ; He  breaketh 
the  bow,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder ; He  burneth 
the  chariot  in  the  fire.”  If  God  is  thus  the  source  of 
victory,  if  the  battle  is  not  to  the  strong  nor  the  race  to 
the  swift,  then  be  still do  not  be  alarmed,  agitated, 
and  vexed ; but  be  satisfied  of  this  ; that  God  will  be 
exalted  in  the  earth.  Fear  not  for  his  kingdom,  be  not 
alarmed  for  his  cause ; not  a hair  of  the  head  of  his 
saints  shall  perish.  Be  still,  and  know  that  He  is  not 
man  to  repent,  nor  a creature  to  fail ; but  the  mighty 
God,  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever. 

This  prescription  is  suitable  to  the  age  in  which  we 
live,  in  the  scenes  that  are  opening  on  a world  that  ap- 
C267^ 


268 


TilE  GREAT  TRIBULATIO.V. 


pears  to  be  about  to  go  through  its  last  baptism.  What 
are  some  of  the  grounds  of  disquiet  in  the  minds  of  true 
Christians  ? Why  is  it  that  we  need  the  prescription. 

Be  still’’?  We  answer,  first,  from  the  imperfection  of* 
our  knowledge.  We  see  but  a fragment  of  God’s  pro- 
cedure ; we  cannot  see  that  out  of  evil  He  still  educes 
good.  When  we  behold  overshadowing  error,  we  think 
it  will  deepen  and  darken  till  the  whole  sky  is  overcast ; 
whereas,  by-and-by  it  is  dissolved,  and  truth  shines  forth 
with  all  the  splendor  of  the  sun,  and  the  momentary 
cloud  seems  to  have  only  increased  the  intensity  of  the 
glory  that  succeeds,  and  follows  it.  We  hear  of  divisions 
and  disputes  among  Christians ; we  think  the  Church  is 
going  to  pieces ; but  that  is  because  we  see  but  a part,  we 
do  not  see  the  whole.  If  we  saw  the  Avhole  we  should 
discover  that  the  momentary  discord  is  only  preparatory 
to  lasting  harmony ; and  that  the  dispute  of  a day  pre- 
cedes the  peace  that  will  prevail  through  ages  to  come. 
We  see  through  a glass  darkly  ; we  do  not  always  recol- 
lect this,  and  because  we  forget  it,  and  fancy  that  we  can 
see  more  clearly  than  is  the  case,  vfe  are  troubled  and 
disquieted.  Because  we  are  blind,  we  think  the  world  is 
going  to  pieces,  and  that  God  has  left  it  to  itself.  Another 
reason  why  we  are  disquieted  is,  that  we  judge  very  much 
after  the  senses.  We  call  that  bright  which  we  see  to  be 
so ; we  call  that  dark  which  we  feel  to  be  so ; and  we 
judge  of  God’s  procedure  by  the  same  senses  with  which 
Ave  judge  of  things  that  are  properly  within  their  pro- 
vince, and  ought  to  be  submitted  to  their  verdict.  Noise 
seems  greatness,  but  it  may  be  very  emptiness.  Glare 
seems  sublimity,  it  may  be  puerility  in  the  extreme.  We 


BE  STILL. 


269 


judge  after  the  senses,  and  we  are  often  mistaken. 
Christ’s  cross  looked  the  meanest  thing  ; it  was  really  the 
most  magnificent.  Christ’s  grave  in  the  garden  looked 
a dark  and  a lonely  spot ; it  was  really  the  birthplace  of 
a greater  power,  the  dawn  of  a brighter  glory  than  ever 
shone  from  heaven  upon  the  hills  of  earth  and  the  habita- 
tions of  mankind.  We  must  not  think  that  is  power 
which  looks  so,  nor  that  misfortune  that  seems  so.  Under 
the  most  unlikely  garb  there  may  be  an  angel  from 
heaven  unawares.  The  hand  of  God  operates  beneficent 
results  when  all  seems  to  us  inevitable  catastrophe,  ca- 
lamity, and  ruin.  Another  reason  why  we  are  disquiet- 
ed, when  we  look  abroad  upon  the  world,  and  on  the 
present  state  of  the  world,  is  the  hastiness  of  our  judg- 
ment. We  see  what  is  sad  now ; we  think  all  will  be  sad 
to  the  end.  We  judge  of  a long  season  from  the  change 
at  its  commencement.  Yet  you  Avould  blame  very  much 
the  man  who  would  judge  of  the  excellence  of  a poem 
from  the  title-page.  You  would  form  a very  poor  esti- 
mate of  his  good  sense  who  would  pronounce  upon  the 
splendor  of  an  imperial  palace  by  a specimen  of  a brick 
taken  from  the  wall,  or  by  seeing  a few  stones  of  the 
foundation  laid.  Of  the  true  Christian  it  is  said  that 
he  shall  not  make  haste;”  and  again,  it  is  good  quiet- 
ctly  to  wait.”  Another  reason  why  we  are  disturbed  is, 
that  we  form  an  atheistic  judgment.  We  look  at  the 
world,  and  we  leave  out  Him  who  is  its  harmony,  its 
order,  and  its  cohesion.  A world  without  God  would  be 
the  saddest  spectacle,  and  its  history  would  be  the  bloodi- 
est tragedy.  And  if  we  look  at  the  Avars  that  are  gleam- 
ing like  lightning  upon  the  ea^^t,  the  west — in  India,  in 


270 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


China,  in  Italy — everywhere  and  no  further,  we  should 
form  a very  sad  and  sorrowful  conclusion.  But  if  we 
can  look  at  all  that  statesmen  arrange,  at  all  that  w^arriors 
achieve,  in  the  light  of  the  sanctuary,  we  shall  find  that 
Italian  and  Indian,  and  Englishman  and  Frenchman,  are 
but  the  chessmen  upon  the  board,  and  that  God  is  the 
great  mover  of  them  all.  They  think  they  are  inde- 
pendent agents,  they  are  really  the  instruments  in  his 
hand,  accomplishing  his  grand  and  magnificent  designs. 
Do  not  judge  after  the  senses ; do  not  think  of  the  world 
without  God  ; but  look  upon  the  w'orld  in  the  light  of  Him 
of  whom  it  is  said,  The  Lord  reigneth  ; let  the  nations 
tremble.  The  Lord  reigneth  ; let  his  people  rejoice.’’ 

Having  seen  some  of  the  obvious  causes  why  we  are 
disposed  to  take  very  gloomy  views,  and  to  be  disturbed 
and  troubled  in  our  minds,  let  me  explain  what  that  still- 
ness is  that  is  here  enjoined.  God  says  through  the 
Psalmist,  Be  still ; and  know  that  I am  God.”  This 
stillness,  or  quiet,  is  not  insensibility.  Man  must  weep 
over  the  losses  that  are  constantly  taking  place  around 
him.  He  must  grieve  at  fields  that  are  red  with  slaugh- 
ter ; he  must  deplore  the  necessity  of  the  sword  being 
taken  from  its  scabbard,  and  the  banner  unfurled  upon 
the  field  of  battle.  We  cannot  but  grieve  when  we 
know  that  tlie  wave  of  war,  whether  it  be  the  wave  of 
conquest  or  defeat,  rolls  laden  with  sorrow  into  ten  thou- 
sand times  ten  thousand  hames.  We  are  not  called  upon 
to  be  insensible.  Jesus  wept.  We  are  made  not  of 
granite,  but  of  flesh  and  blood.  Stoicism  is  not  Chris- 
tianity ; insensibility  is  not  the  peace  that  passeth  under- 
standing. The  stillness  that  is  enjoined  is  not  insens:- 


BE  STILL. 


271 


bility,  but  something  far  richer.  This  stillness  is  not 
fatalism.  A fatalist  is  quite  a different  person  from  a 
predestinarian.  You  may  believe  in  predestination,  and 
yet  not  be  a fatalist.  The  Mahometan  is  a thorough  fli- 
talist.  The  Moslem  sits  down  when  he  hears  of  the  pes- 
tilence sweeping  through  the  streets  of  Constantinople, 
or  when  he  hears  the  roll  of  the  Russian  drum  and  the 
boom  of  its  artillery  thundering  in  his  rear ; he  sits 
down,  smokes  his  chibouque^  and  exclaims  in  perfect 
ease,  '^It  is  the  will  of  Allah — God’s  will  be  done.” 
That  is  fatalism,  not  Christianity.  There  may  be  the 
intensest  energy  in  action  with  a back-ground  of  un- 
broken repose  on  God.  There  may  be  the  stillness  of 
confiding  trust,  there  may  yet  be  the  energy  of  active 
and  of  vigorous  exertion.  The  stillness  of  the  Moslem 
is  the  stillness  of  stagnation,  or  the  calmness  of  an  iron 
nerve,  or  the  stupor  superinduced  by  opium  ; it  is  not 
the  Be  still,  and  know  that  I am  God.”  This,  which 
is  here  enjoined,  is  not  the  stillness  of  atheistic  defiance. 
There  is  a stillness  arising  from  a belief  that  God  has 
forsaken  the  earth,  that  He  has  left  the  most  splendid  vic- 
tory to  the  greatest  strength.  There  is  a stillness  arising 
from  the  belief  that  the  battle  is  to  the  strong,  that  the 
race  is  to  the  swift ; and  such  confidence  is  full  of  scorn 
towards  God  and  indifference  to  the  sufferings  of  mankind. 
The  exclusion  of  God,  and  thinking  that  by  our  own  arm, 
and  might,  and  inexhaustible  resources,  we  can  achieve 
the  victory,  that  is  the  stillness  of  Nebuchadnezzar  when 
he  congratulated  himself  on  his  Babylonian  splendor  ; the 
stillness  of  the  Assyrian  when  he  came  down  like  a wolf 
on  the  fold,”  and  thought  that  by  his  own  prowess  he 


272 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


would  gain  the  day.  The  stillness  of  a Christian’s  heart 
is  an  inspiration  of  a nobler  and  a more  glorious  stamp 
than  this.  It  is  not  presumption.  There  is  a stillness,  or 
a quiet,  or  a peace  arising  from  excluding  God  from  the 
world,  and  thinking  that  our  army  and  our  navy  will  do 
all ; and  there  is  a quiet  resulting  from  including  God, 
and  so  thinking  of  God  that  we  ourselves  shall  do  nothino^. 
Now  I know  not  which  is  worse ; the  atheistic  sensuous- 
ness that  excludes  God  from  the  world,  and  asserts  that 
we  can  work  the  world  without  Him,  or  the  infidel  pre- 
sumption that  throws  all  upon  God,  and  sits  still,  and 
says,  ‘‘  God  will  accomplish  his  purposes.”  God’s  grace 
is  not  a substitute  for  us,  as  many  read  the  text,  but  it  is 
sufficient  for  us.  God’s  strength  is  not  made  perfect  in 
indolence,  in  apathy,  in  presumption,  but  in  trusting  and 
in  trustful  weakness.  Thus  there  are  grounds  of  disturb- 
ance which  are  untenable  and  there  are  grounds  for  a peace 
that  are  equally  untenable.  Let  us  therefore  turn  to  that 
true  stillness,  the  prescription  from  heaven,  the  possession 
of  a Christian’s  heart,  which  is  generated  chiefly  by  the 
blessed  assurance,  ‘ ‘ Know  that  I am  God ; I will  be  ex- 
alted amid  the  nations  of  the  earth.”  We  find  that  the 
stillness,  or  the  peace,  or  repose,  that  a Christian  feels 
springs  from  the  conviction  or  the  experimental  knowledge 
that  God  He  is  God,  and  will  be  exalted  in  the  nations  and 
in  all  the  earth.  It  is  God  as  revealed  in  Scripture  that 
is  the  foundation  of  a Christian’s  peace.  If  I did  not  be- 
lieve in  a God,  I should  dread  the  falling  of  a leaf,  the 
turning  of  a corner,  the  stumbling  of  a foot;  but  because 
I believe  in  God  the  Almighty,  the  Father  of  heaven  and 
of  earth,  therefore  I am  still.  Were  God  other  than  He  is 


BE  STILL. 


277 


All  things,  disturbed  kingdoms,  desolated  nations,  broken 
sceptres,  shattered  thrones,  the  roar  of  artillery,  the  roll 
of  the  conquering  drum,  the  blast  of  the  trumpet,  the  cry 
of  the  wounded,  the  grojlns  of  the  dying,  have  ‘‘  a needs 
be.”  Be  still. 

See  the  expediency  of  such  a prescription  as  this.  It 
is  by  stillness,  self-possession,  and  Christian  quiet  that  we 
can  best  look  around  us,  and  estimate  our  position,  and 
see  clearest.  It  is  in  the  calm,  not  the  stormy  sky,  that 
we  can  best  see  the  stars : it  is  in  the  still  ocean,  not  the 
stormy  one,  we  can  see  reflected  a hundred  fathoms  down 
all  the  splendors  of  the  sky.  It  is  when  our  minds  are 
at  peace  with  God,  and  thoroughly  satisfied  that  the  issue 
will  be  right,  that  we  can  best  look  around  us  and  see 
things  in  their  right  light,  and  come  to  the  most  just  and 
consolatory  conclusion.  And  it  is  by  stillness  that  w^e  are 
most  prepared  for  all  that  may  await  us.  The  most  col- 
lected and  composed  are  the  fittest  for  duty ; the  greatest 
minds  are  usually  calm  ; high  brows  are  still ; holy  hearts 
beat  with  unbroken  composure.  It  is  when  the  storm  is 
expected,  that  the  sailor  reefs  every  sail  and  makes  his 
canvass  less ; it  is  when  the  battle  is  looked  for,  that  the 
general  calls  in  and  concentrates  all  his  forces  for  the  issue. 
It  is  by  calmness,  composure,  confidence  in  God,  that  we  can 
see  the  furthest,  that  we  can  act  with  the  greatest  energy. 
And  hence  the  man  who  is  a Christian  by  grace  has  gener- 
ally been  the  bravest  hero  on  the  field  of  conflict  or  upon  the 
quarter-deck.  Be  still.”  How  often  is  this  prescription 
given  in  the  Bible.  Rest  on  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently 
for  him.”'  ” It  is  good  for  a man  that  he  both  hope  and 
quietly  wait.”  Remember  ' the  Lord  reigneth.  What  a 


278 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


truth  is  that ! The  Lord  not  only  is.  but  the  Lord  reigneth. 
He  is  clothed  with  majesty,  his  throne  is  stablished  of  old. 
The  floods  have  lifted  up  their  voice,  hut  the  Lord  on  high 
is  mightier  than  the  noise  of  iITany  waters,  yea,  than  the 
mighty  waters  of  the  sea.  This  stillness  or  perfect  com- 
posure in  the  wisdom,  the  power,  the  goodness  of  God,  all 
enlisted  on  our  side,  encompassing,  enveloping,  and  shel- 
tering us,  is,  as  I have  stated,  not  only  compatible,  but 
necessarily  compatible,  with  the  most  vigorous  and  earnest 
discharge  of  the  duty  that  devolves  upon  us.  And  the 
very  first  duty  that  becomes  us  in  the  crisis  which  is 
thickening  on  the  earth  is  prayer  to  Him  that  reigns,  for 
our  country,  for  our  countrymen  exposed  to  the  perils  and 
the  calamities  of  war ; and  especi^dly  that  God  would  be 
pleased  to  decide  the  great  conflict  of  the  nations,  that  his 
name  may  be  exalted,  his  cause  prospered,  and  ancient 
prophecy,  that  scepticism  has  denounced  as  obsolete,  may 
be  translated  into  modern  history,  that  the  nations  of  the 
earth  may  see  and  know  that  they  were  the,  inspiration 
of  God. 


APPENDIX 


In  order  to  prove  that  those  who  do  not  attend  to  prophetic  investigation 
are  impressed  by  the  abnormal  complications  of  Europe  and  Asia,  and 
witnesses  unconsciously  to  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  I will  here  append 
some  remarkable  extracts  from  the  various  representatives  of  public 
opinion.  My  first  extract  is  from  an  American  point  of  view  : — 

I.  EVENTS  IN  ASIA. 

“ It  is  not  surprising  that  bold  theorists  like  Dr.  Gumming  of  London, 
and  other  students  of  the  Bible,  should  imagine  they  see  ‘ the  beginning 
of  the  end  ’ of  prophecy  in  the  historic  events  of  the  past  few  years. 
There  has  been  something  strangely  provocative  of  that  idea  in  the 
return  of  the  currents  of  strife  and  revolution  to  their  original  centre, 
the  continent  of  Asia.  The  thoughtful  have  long  anticipated  and  pre- 
dicted such  return,  but  while  the  indications  were  faint  and  gradual 
they  escaped  the  common  attention.  Now,  however,  when  the  world  has 
seen  the  great  Northern  Power  of  that  continent  arrayed  against  the 
nations  of  Europe;  now  that  the  whole  Persian  empire  is  swaying  betwen 
the  eastward  march  of  Russia  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Indian  ambition 
of  England  on  the  other;  now  that  the  entering  wedge  of  the  ‘ opium 
war  ’ has  been  succeeded  by  a new  and  unexpected  second  assault  upon 
the  exclusive  policy  of  China;  now  that  the  extent  of  that  vast  and  stag- 
nant empire  has  been  shaken  by  the  tramp  of  revolution ; now  that  the 
conquering  policy  of  Russia  is  expanding  into  railroad  ramifications 
through  the  Continent  pari  passu  with  the  canal  and  steam  projects  of 
European  commerce  along  its  southern  and  western  margin — now  that 
these  things  have  become  matters  of  history,  the  world  seems  to  be 
awakening  to  the  fiict  that  Asia  is  to  be  the  theatre  of  gigantic  events  in 
the  near  future,  and  grave  statesmen  find  excuses  for  speculative  solici- 
tude in  regard  to  the  ultimate  results. 


(279) 


280 


APPENDIX. 


“ What  precise  turn  these  results  are  to  exhibit  is  not  a practical  ques- 
tion, but  the  unmistakable  tendency  of  events  already  past  or  now 
transpiring  is  among  the  most  momentous  considerations  of  the  day. 
The  abrupt  termination  of  the  Russian  struggle  with  Turkey  and  the 
Western  Powers  was  far  more  remarkable  than  the  origin  and  incidents 
of  the  war  itself,  wonderful  as  were  the  latter.  Its  full  significance  is 
hardly,  however,  even  yet  discernible-  With  seemingly  lowered  crest 
the  Muscovite  escaped  from  a tremendous  and  rapidly  exhausting  con- 
flict, but  at  once  proceeded  to  avail  himself  of  the  appliances  of  an  ad- 
vanced civilization  possessed  by  his  enemies,  to  unite  and  consolidate  his 
empire.  The  idea  of  commercial  convenience,  and  consequent  financial 
augmentation  and  strength,  no  doubt  enters  fundamentally  into  these 
schemes;  but  that  this  aim  is  singly  or  even  mainly,  as  is  made  to  appear, 
the  design  of  the  Emperor,  will  be  hard  to  impress  upon  those  familiar 
with  the  inexorable  policy  of  Russia.  That  icy  despotism  stands  the  iron 
type  of  military  power  in  the  nineteenth  century. — Her  network  of  rail- 
ways is  primarily  to  answer  the  same  purpose  as  the  wonderful  thor- 
oughfares constructed  by  Pmman  energy,  and  to  perfect  the  communi- 
cation between  the  centre  and  the  circumference  of  the  empire. 

“ Nor  will  it  be  sufficient  that  these  means  of  instant  communication 
ramify  the  empire  itself.  Already  is  the  Czar  busy  with  a counter- 
check to  the  Anglo-Indian  encroachment  on  Persia,  and  the  projected 
railroad  from  Tiflis,  his  trans-Caucasian  centre-point,  to  Teheran,  the 
capital  of  the  Shah,  marks  the  first  of  his  colossal  strides,  to  dispute  the 
empire  of  Eastern  Asia  with  all  the  world.  To  the  same  purpose  have 
tended  his  aggressive  spoliations  on  the  Amoor  river  over  his  feeble 
southern  neighbor  in  that  quarter.  In  the  case  of  Persia,  the  Shah  is 
after  all,  and  has  long  been,  but  a plastic  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the 
Autocrat ; and  even  now  European  statesmen  are  perplexed  to  conjec- 
ture whether  or  not  Persia  acted  in  her  recent  English  disturbance  upon 
the  assurance  of  Russian  succor  should  matters  reach  a dangerous  posi- 
tion. 

“ This  conflict  between  Persia  and  England,  too,  now  said  to  be  closed 
for  the  present,  is  not  without  significance,  and  though  it  had  seemingly 
very  simple  causes,  it  is  possible  the  precise  share  the  partial  discom- 
fiture of  Russia  in  the  late  war  had  in  it  will  never  be  known  to  the 
cabinets  of  Europe.  Upon  the  side  of  England  it  was  unquestionably 
but  another  of  those  events  which,  like  the  hand  of  destiny,  have  con- 
tinued to  impel  the  march  of  her  Asiatic  accessions.  The  difference  in 


BE  STILL. 


273 


described  in  the  Bible,  I could  not  trust  in  Him ; were 
God  ignorant,  all  might  go  to  ruin  without  his  knowing  it ; 
were  God  unwise,  He  might  injure  the  very  cause  He 
designs  to  support ; were  God  limited  in  power.  He  might 
not  be  able  to  help  where  help  is  most  important ; were 
God  not  omnipresent.  He  might  not  see  where  there  was 
suffering,  and  sympathy  was  needed,  or  where  there  was 
ruin,  and  restoration  should  be  interposed ; and  were  God 
unmerciful,  we  should  never  be  pitied.  But  because  He 
is  the  God  that  shines  from  every  page,  and  speaks  in 
every  chapter  of  the  Bible,  I am  still,  because  I know  that 
that  God  is  my  God  for  ever  and  ever. 

We  have  peace  or  stillness,  not  only  from  knowing  God 
as  revealed  in  Scripture,  but  from  knowing  God  in  his  own 
past  providential  dealings.  The  antediluvian  evil  seems 
once  to  have  gained  the  supremacj^ : Christ’s  flock  re- 
stricted to  a handful ; evil,  as  far  as  we  can  judge  by  signs, 
had  gained  the  day,  and  asserted  its  supremacy ; yet  it  was 
not  so ; the  Flood  burst  upon  the  earth,  and  washed  away 
the  guilty ; the  remnant  were  saved  in  his  sovereignty  that 
were  to  be  the  seed  of  a population  countless  as  the  dew- 
drops  sparkling  in  the  rays  of  an  unsetting  sun.  The 
Assyrian  once  burst  upon  Israel  with  all  but  irresistible 
power ; and  when  he  came,  he  exclaimed,  in  the  pride  and 
triumph  of  his  heart,  By  the  strength  of  my  hand  I have 
done  it,  and  by  my  wisdom  ; for  I am  prudent : and  I have 
removed  the  bounds  of  the  people,  and  have  robbed  their 
treasures,  and  I have  put  down  the  inhabitants  like  a val- 
iant man ; and  my  hand  hath  found  as  a nest  the  riches  of 
the  people ; and  as  one  gathereth  eggs  that  are  left,  have 
I gathered  all  the  earth  ; and  there  was  none  that  moved 
12* 


274 


THE  GREAT  TRIBULATION. 


the  wing,  or  opened  the  mouth.”  So  said  the  Assyrian, 
when  he  congratulated  himself  upon  approaching  victory. 
But  what  does  God  say?  Shall  the  axe  boast  itself 
against  him  that  heweth  therewith  ? or  shall  the  saw  mag- 
nify itself  against  him  that  shaketh  it  ? as  if  the  rod  should 
shake  itself  against  him  that  lifted  it  up,  or  as  if  the  staff* 
should  lift  up  itself  as  if  it  were  no  wood.  Therefore  shall 
the  Lord  ; the  Lord  of  hosts,  send  among  his  fat  ones  lean- 
ness, and  under  his  glory  he  shall  kindle  a burning  like 
the  burning  of  a fire.”  So  Pharaoh  prided  himself  on  his 
strength,  thought  Israel  was  in  his  grasp  for  ever,  but 
just  at  the  moment  his  pride  was  stoutest  and  his  hope 
the  brightest,  the  pathway  that  seemed  to  him  a prome- 
nade to  victory  presented  the  awful  spectacle  of  the  walls 
of  w’ater  that  closed  in  and  buried  the  hosts  and  chivalry 
of  Pharaoh.  Napoleon  the  First  is  another  instance.  All 
seemed  to  be  within  his  reach ; kings,  thrones,  and  dynas- 
ties were  shattered  by  his  touch;  the  victory  of  the  world 
seemed  to  be  within  his  grasp ; and  lo  ! so  weak  is  man, 
so  great  is  God,  the  snows  of  Russia  became  the  grave  of 
his  mighty  army ; and  that  element,  so  soft  in  itself, 
wielded  by  Him  that  rules,  sealed  the  fate  and  precipitated 
the  doom  of  Napoleon.  Thus,  when  I read  the  past,  and 
find  God  has  depressed  the  proud,  cleft  the  sea  for  his 
people  to  pass  through,  led  the  blind  by  a way  they  knew 
not ; made  every  scene  resonant  with  his  voice,  left  the 
footprints  of  his  presence  upon  every  acre  of  the  world,  I 
can  lay  the  stress  of  my  hopes  and  confidence  upon  Him, 
and  amidst  all  the  convulsions  of  the  earth  I can  be  still, 
for  I know  that  the  Lord  is  God. 

Another  reason  for  this  stillness  should  be  our  own 


BE  STILL. 


275 


personal  and  almost  universal  experience.  There  is  no 
one,  however  obscure  in  his  life,  however  under-ground  the 
current  of  his  years,  who  may  not  seethe  shadow  of  God 
at  every  winding  and  eddy  in  its  ceaseless  stream.  You 
cannot  explain  your  past  history  Avithout  God ; you  cannot 
account  for  your  present  position  if  you  exclude  God.  Do 
you  not  feel  that  a tone  and  coloring  has  been  given  to 
your  mind,  a direction  to  your  progress,  an  arrest  here,  an 
impulse  there,  that  you  cannot  account  for  except  by  know- 
ing that  it  was  God  ? Leave  God  out  of  the  humblest 
life,  and  that  life  is  a labyrinth  inexplicable,  unintelligi- 
ble. Let  God  be  seen  in  it,  and  the  thread  runs  along 
it  all  that  guides  you  through  every  perplexity,  and  ex- 
plains every  turning,  and  shows  a divine  hand  leading 
the  blind  by  a way  that  they  knew  not,  and  by  paths 
that  they  had  not  known.  All  this,  then,  convinces  us 
that  God  reigns  and  rules,  not  only  in  individual  his- 
tories, but  in  the  histories  of  the  world,  and  in  the  move- 
ment of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  He  reigns  over  the 
battle-field  ; He  is  no  unconcerned  spectator  of  the  havoc. 
He  sees  where  the  guilt  is ; He  knows  Avhere  the  misfor- 
tune lies ; He  sees  who  is  there  in  the  discharge  of  a stern 
but  inevitable  duty,  and  who  is  there  the  minion  of  a ruth- 
less and  unjustifiable  ambition.  And  out  of  all  the  evil 
He  will  educe  good,  from  the  storms  of  war  shall  issue 
the  calm  and  the  sunshine  of  everlasting  peace ; the  sword 
shall  yet  be  beaten  into  the  plough-share,  the  spear 
must  be  turned  into  the  pruning-hook,  and  the  most  sav- 
age nations  of  the  east  and  the  most  cultivated  tribes  of  the 
west  shall  learn  war  no  more.  The  Danube  shall  reflect 
his  glory ; the  Euphrates  shall  make  Avay  for  his  progress  ; 


276 


THE  GIIEAT  TRIBl^LATION. 


and  the  snows  of  Russia  and  the  sunshine  of  Constantino- 
ple shall  equally,  beneath  his  plastic  and  regulating  pres- 
ence, redound  to  the  glory  of  his  name,  and  to  the  ever- 
lasting good  of  his  believing  and  his  trustful  people  ; China 
and  India  shall  sing  his  praise.  When  I think  of  all  these 
things,  I can  prescribe  with  an  emphasis  with  which  I 
never  prescribed  before,  ‘‘  Be  still  and  know  that  I am 
God.’’  The  evil  only  shall  perish,  the  good  shall  endure. 
Man  is  made  use  of  to  punish  man,  and  to  make  a path- 
way for  the  progress  of  the  saints  of  God.  It  is  a hum- 
bling thought  to  the  natural  man,  a magnificent  thought 
to  the  Christian,  that  while  Napoleon  thought  in  his  folly 
he  struck  out  his  own  path,  he  was  really  a battle  axe 
wielded  by  God  for  cleaving  a pathway  for  the  Gospel  of 
Christ. 

But  let  come  what  may,  Christians  can  be  still ; their 
hope  is  beyond  the  stars,  their  foundation  is  stronger  than 
the  everlasting  hills ; their  cause,  their  destiny  remains 
when  all  is  overwhelmed  and  overthrown.  The  kingdoms 
of  this  world  may  be  shattered,  but  the  kingdom  of  our 
God  only  emerges  into  greater  brightness.  The  flame 
that  wraps  wide  Europe,  and  calcines  great  thrones,  shall 
only  light  the  saints  of  God  to  their  everlasting  home. 
Tlie  trees  of  the  forest  may  blaze,  but  the  bush  on  Horeb 
remains  in  the  flame,  unscathed  and  imperishable  for  ever. 
The  ships  of  Tarshish  may  be  tossed  and  founder  in  the 
waves,  but  the  ark  of  God’s  people  has  Christ  in  thh  midst 
of  it ; it  shall  never  perish.  The  cities  of  the  nations  may 
be  destroyed,  but  we  have  a city  that  hath  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  whose  maker  is  God.  ^‘Let  not  your 
hearts  be  troubled.”  ‘‘  Be  still,  and  know  that  I am  God.” 


APPENDIX. 


281 


this  case,  however,  has  been  and  will  be  that  she  must  encounter  the 
rival  pretensions  of  Russia,  thus  precluding  the  probability  of  that  suc- 
cess which  has  hitherto  attended  her  Eastern  usurpations. 

“ Of  the  tendency  of  the  events  of  the  past  few  years  in  China — to 
which  may  be  added  the  new  relation  occupied  by  Japan  to  the  rest  of 
the  world — it  is  much  easier  to  form  an  estimate.  There  were  few  men 
versed  in  the  history  of  the  ‘ opium  war  ’ who  ever  anticipated  that  China 
would  have  remained  as  long  as  she  has  free  from  a second  European 
drubbing.  That  war  was  but  a preliminary  buffet,  before  which  the 
walls  of  Cathayan  isolation — endangered  by  the  senile  insolence  of  the 
Chinese  themselves — are  eventually  to  succumb.  It  is  possible  this 
would  have  been  repeated  before  now  if  the  revolution  in  that  country 
had  not  supervened.  As  it  is,  that  astonishing  convulsion  of  a people 
stagnant  beyond  all  criterion  is  but  another  link  in  the  general  chain. 
Tai-ping-Wang  could  have  sprung  successfully  into  the  character  of  a 
Chinese  Mohammed  only  by  the  awakening  c^Jnsciousness  of  the  people 
that  godship  did  not  dwell  in  the  Tartar  potentate.  Two  hundred 
years  of  undisputed  rule  had  deadened  the  memory  of  doubt  as  to  the 
Manchu  divine  right  and  divine  person.  It  had  also  extinguished  the 
vitality  of  the  Ming  tradition.  But  the  English  opium  war  taught  the 
shrewd  among  the  Chinese  that  their  super-serene  superiority  was  a 
deception  and  a myth  whose  absurdity  stared  them  in  the  face.  Such  a 
man  was  the  disappointed  schoolmaster,  ‘ the  elegant  and  perfect,’  Siu- 
tshuen.  He  had  witnessed  in  his  day  the  miserable  farce  of  Chinese 
resistance,  and  the  total  and  disgraceful  overthrow  of  celestial  valor  and 
might.  His  literary  studies  acquainted  him  with  the  potency  of  the 
iling  prestige  as  a historical  souvenir.  He  may  or  may  not  be  a remote 
descendant.  This  is  immaterial.  All  that  was  neceseary  was  to  make 
the  Chinese  Saxons  believe  that  he  was  of  the  race  of  their  own  Harold, 
and  the  immemorial  and  ineradicable  prejudices  against  the  invader  and 
usurper  would  come  to  his  assistance.  The  whole  scheme  illustrates  the 
sublime  duplicity  of  the  Cathayan  character.  The  ‘ Prince  of  Peace  ’ — 
Tai-ping-Wang — the  ‘ Great  Pacificating  King  ’ — could  do  no  less  than 
avail  himself  of  the  national  superstition,  and  he  therefore  holds  his  fol- 
lowers enthralled  with  a belief  in  his  indispensable  divinity,  while  on 
the  other  hand  he  extorts  their  homage  as  the  representative  of  the  native 
nationality.  He  has  caught  a glimpse,  faint  though  it  be,  of  the  power 
of  the  ‘outside  barbarians  he  is  too  shrewd  not  to  appreciate  it;  he 
feels  that  contact  is  strengthening  the  ideas  of  his  own  people,  and  that 


282 


APPENDIX. 


their  bleared  and  besotted  vision  is  clearing  to  something  higher;  he 
therefore  boldly  plunders  the  Christian  of  an  improved  idea  of  divine 
relationship,  flatters  by  Oriental  policy,  and  frightens  by  practical  per- 
formance, and  meets  the  coming  shock  of  events  as  a hero  and  a re- 
former. 

“ But  the  history  of  the  revolution  is  nothing  in  itself.  It  is  only  as 
an  evidence  that  the  lethargic  spell  of  centuries  has  been  broken  that  it 
is  important.  Whether  Ming  or  Mang-chu  shall  rule  China,  until  the 
spirit  abroad  in  the  out-of-door  world  shall  reach  her  she  is  inert  and 
worthless.  Already  and  naturally  enough  we  find  the  rebel  powers 
eager  to  exceed  the  government  in  patriotic  resistance  to  the  Canton 
aggression.  Not,  we  presume,  that  Tai-ping-Wanghas  not  sense  enough 
to  see  that  the  overthrow  of  the  government  forces  would  militate  to  his 
own  advantage  by  destroying  the  idea  of  invincible  might  in  the  impe- 
rial rule,  but  that  he  ajso  sees  that  the  irrepressible  sentiment  of  patri- 
otism in  the  human  breast  would  effect  a general  desertion  from  his  cause 
if  he  should  appear  lukewarm  against  a foreign  foe. 

“ The  effect  of  the  recent  proceedings  at  Canton  is  the  one  important 
point  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  fate  of  the  Chinese  portion  of  the 
continent  of  Asia  trembles  in  the  balance  there.  The  indications  that 
Asia  is  to  resume  her  ancient  importance  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  may 
hinge  in  no  unimportant  degree  upon  circumstances  which  have  already 
transpired  in  that  quarter.  The  knowledge  that  the  Government  is  not 
invincible  will  cause  its  overthrow,  in  all  probability,  sooner  or  later. 
Pressed  upon  the  north  by  Russia,  from  the  sea  by  her  open  enemies, 
within  convulsed  by  a resolute  and  popular  rebellion,  the  redemption  of 
the  Flowery  Land  may  be  lodged  in  the  elements  which  constitute  the 
ruin  of  other  nations.  The  events  in  Asia,  everywhere,  of  the  past  few 
years  are  pregnant  with  meaning. 

“ The  present  aspect  of  the  world  is  eminently  fitted  to  command  the 
attention  even  of  men  unaccustomed  to  reflect.  If  we  look  to  the  West 
we  see  a mighty  nation  covered  with  the  wreck  of  fortunes  of  all  magni- 
tudes. Numbers  in  every  part  of  the  land  have  been  precipitated  from 
the  summit  of  wealth  into  the  depths  of  poverty.  All  ranks  and  con- 
ditions of  people,  both  in  the  Church  and  in  the  world,  have  been  equally 
affected  by  it.  The  root  of  pride  has  been  torn  up  as  if  by  a hurricane, 
which  could  neither  be  resisted  nor  eschewed.  Multitudes,  nursed  in 
the  lap  of  luxury,  have,  without  preparation,  and  without  warning, 
been  cast  forth  and  thrown  on  the  wide  world  ! Status  on  which  so 


APPENDIX. 


283 


many  were  wont  to  congratulate  themselves,  and  which  they  were  acciis« 
tomed  to  guard  with  sleepless  jealousy,  has  been  annihilated  at  a blow. 
Riches  have  made  to  themselves  wings  and  fled,  quickly  followed  by  sun- 
shine friendships.  Like  death,  the  panic  has  levelled  all  distinctions. 
Property,  whether  inherited  or  earned  by  personal  elfort,  has  perished. 
Like  the  gourd  of  the  prophet,  the  prospects  of  myriads  withered  in  a 
night.  In  many  cases,  the  servant  and  the  master  have  changed  places. 
They  who  were  proud  to  lend  are  now  fain  to  borrow  to  sustain  life, 
and  help  to  begin  the  world  again.  The  gains  of  many  years,  or  a whole 
lifetime,  have  been  swept  away  with  the  besom  of  destruction  ! 

“ These  events  have  a strong  practical  bearing;  they  show  the  vanity 
of  life,  and  the  unsubstantial  nature  of  all  earthly  good.  The  expecta- 
tions of  multitudes  of  respectable  families  have  been  blasted  as  if  by  the 
breath  of  Heaven  ! Copartneries  in  business,  and  settlements  for  life, 
have  been,  in  the  very  act  of  formation,  hopelessly  deranged  or  set  aside 
for  ever.  Provisions  liberally  made  for  wives,  and  children,  and  dear 
dependents,  have  been  scattered  to  the  winds  ! In  cases  not  a few,  such 
arrangements  were  scarcely  completed,  and  the  eyes  of  the  affectionate 
son,  husband,  or  father,  that  made  them  closed  in  death,  when  the  sound 
of  the  approaching  whirlwind  was  heard,  and  this  terrible  aggravation 
of  previous  bereavement  completed  ! The  luxury  of  benevolence  w'hich 
consisted  in  attending  to  the  neglected,  and  remembering  the  forgotten, 
in  acting  as  feet  to  the  lame,  as  eyes  to  the  blind,  and  making  the  heart 
of  the  widow  to  sing  with  joy,  has  been  summarily  put  an  end  to.  In 
many  cases,  former  dispensers  of  favors  have  now  become  humble  sup- 
pliants. The  work  of  Christian  charity  has  in  many  instances  come  to  a 
stand-still,  and  helpless  age,  during  the  last  stages  of  its  journey,  has 
been  deprived  of  its  only  prop.  In  a word,  ruin  in  a multitude  of  cir- 
cles has  been  paramount. 

“ If  we  look  to  the  East,  we  behold  on  a scale,  both  vast  and  awful, 
the  wreck  of  fortunes,  accompanied  with  the  blasting  of  prospects,  and 
the  loss  of  life : all  the  destruction  which  has  been  i-ealized  in  all  the 
oceans  of  our  globe  during  the  same  period  are  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  havoc  of  Hindoostan.  India,  always  a region  perilous  to  life,  alike 
from  the  climate  and  its  diseases,  has  now  become  more  so,  to  an  extent 
which  it  were  impossible  adequately  to  describe.  The  horrors  of  war 
are  but  secondary  to  those  of  the  barbarities  which  have  just  been  perpe- 
trated. They  are  altogether  peculiar ; there  is  nothing  that  resembles 
them  connected  with  either  war  or  pestilence.  Even  individual  assassi- 


284 


APPENDIX. 


nation,  collective  murder,  and  multiform  massacre,  present  a compara- 
tively winning  aspect.  It  is  difficult  to  say,  whether  the  accompani- 
ments tended  to  mitigate  or  to  aggravate  the  misfortune.  Collective  is, 
perhaps  in  some  cases,  preferable  to  individual  destruction.  Men  and 
women,  parents  and  children,  have  been  cut  down  by  tlie  same  blow, 
sacrificed  by  the  same  hands  at  ihe  altar  of  the  Furies,  while  others  per- 
ished apart,  but  under  conditions  not  less  revolting.  Death,  under  ordi- 
nary circumstances,  has  ever  been  arrayed  in  beauty  as  compared  with 
the  diabolical  indignities,  horrible  beyond  description,  with  which  in 
many  cases  dissolution  has  been  attended.  Here  the  use  of  appropriate 
language  is  interdicted  to  us;  it  may  not  be  polluted  with  the  ideas  which 
facts  present.  The  soul  shudders  at  the  very  thought ! ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ It  cannot  be  denied  that  public  opinion  anticipates  extraordinary 
events.  European  policy  resembles  a vase  so  full  that  the  addition  of  a 
single  drop  would  cause  it  to  run  over;  and  the  question  now  is  whether 
that  drop  will  fall  at  once,  or  whether  the  equilibrium  will  be  maintained 
for  some  time  longer.  Without,  however,  on  that  account  attaching  too 
great  importance  to  the  rumors  of  war,  we  may  be  convinced  that  they 
are  not  altogether  devoid  of  foundation.  In  the  present  situation  of  pub- 
lic opinion  the  first  important  act  which  any  Cabinet  whatever  may 
undertake  to  cause  its  political  maxims  to  prevail  over  those  of  another 
cannot  fail  to  become  a cause  of  war.  . . . If  to  these  considerations 

we  add  the  hostility  of  Russia  to  Austria,  the  neutrality  of  England  and 
Prussia,  and  the  agitated  state  of  the  East  and  of  Italy,  we  see  accumu- 
lated such  a quantity  of  inflammable  elements  that  a simple  spark  may 
occasion  an  immense  conflagration.  Does  this  spark  exist,  and  does  it 
only  await  the  hand  to  put  it  in  contact  with  the  combustible  materials, 
or  is  it  not  yet  formed?  ’’ 


II.  MAHOMEDANISM. 

I have  often  taken  occasion  to  notice  the  expiring  of  Mahomedanism  in 
Europe  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  “drying  up  of  the  Euphrates.”  It  is 
striking  to  notice  its  steady  evaporation  from  1821  to  this  very  year. 
The  JSTew  York  Observer ^ a judicious,  accurate,  and  able  journal,  thus 
wrote  at  the  close  of  185S  : — ‘ 


APPENDIX. 


285 


“ In  various  parts  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  and  in  other  countries 
where  the  Mohammedan  religion  has  believers,  the  present  is  marked  by 
fearful  outbreaks  of  finaticism  resulting  in  the  massacre  of  Christians. 
Last  week  we  mentioned  the  Jeddah  murders.  Below  we  give  minuter 
particulars,  of  that  and  other  scenes. 

“ From  Bosnia. — A letter  from  the  frontiers  of  Bosnia  of  the  8th  of 
July,  states  that  another  sanguinary  collision  had  just  taken  place  be- 
tween the  Christian  population  of  Bosnia  and  the  Turks.  The  conflict 
had  been  caused  by  the  tyrannical  conduct  of  the  fanatical  Beys,  who  had 
declared  that  they  would  sooner  take  up  arms  against  the  Sultan  than 
suffer  any  compromise  to  be  made  with  the  Christians. 

“ From  Candia. — Accounts  from  Athens  state  that  a terrible  reaction 
of  the  Mussulmans  against  the  Christians  has  taken  place  in  Candia.  A 
young  Greek  of  Canea  killed  a Turk.  The  body  of  the  Mussulman  was 
conveyed  to  the  mosque,  and  a general  rising  soon  after  took  place.  The 
European  consulates,  as  well  as  the  Catholic  churches,  were  insulted. 
The  French  flag  was  fired  on,  and  the  hotel  of  the  Turkish  Admiral  was 
threatened  unless  the  Greek  was  put  to  death.  The  Greek  was  strangled 
by  order  of  the  Admiral,  and  his  body  was  given  up  to  the  populace, 
and  was  dragged  by  them  before  the  houses  of  the  Consuls.  The  Chris- 
tians are  leaving  Canea  in  crowds.  The  Tuiks  at  Retimo  have  devas- 
tated the  churches  in  that  town,  wounded  several  of  the  clergy,  and 
taken  possession  of  the  citadel,  the  artillery  stationed  in  it  taking  part 
with  the  mob. 

“ Disturbances  have  broken  out  in  the  province  of  Bagdad  in  conse- 
quence of  the  recruiting  of  the  army.  In  several  villages  the  authorities 
have  been  driven  out.  Omar  Pasha  has  sent  troops  to  restore  order. 

“ Another  account  from  Candia  says  : — Before  every  Consulate  and 
every  Christian’s  house  the  crowd  made  a short  stay,  hurling  stones  and 
shouting,  * We,  too,  will  show  you  that  we  can  get  what  we  want.’  On 
the  morning  of  the  4th  all  the  more  wealthy  Christian  families  were 
seen  leaving  the  town  in  whatever  ships  were  at  their  disposal.  The 
Mohammedan  population  was  still  in  arms,  and  in  a fearful  state  of 
excitement.  If  it  be  taken  into  account  that  the  Christian  peasantry  in 
the  interior  are  likewise  still  in  arms,  it  may  be  readily  comprehended 
that  we  have  not  yet  heard  the  last  of  these  bloody  events  in  Candia.” 

“ From  Egypt. — Accounts  from  Alexandria  of  the  6th  state,  that  a 
considerable  agitation  against  Europeans  prevailed  at  Suez,  and  that  it 
had  been  found  necessary  to  send  troops  there  in  order  to  prevent  a 
movement.” 


286 


APPENDIX. 


“ The  Massacre  at  Jeddah. — A correspondent  of  the  London  Times 
adds  the  following  particulars  : — Her  Majesty’s  steamer  ‘ Cyclops,’  lately 
sent  to  the  Red  Sea  by  the  British  Government  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
a series  of  deep-water  soundings,  had  been  lying  for  about  a week  in  the 
harbor  of  Jeddah,  whither  she  had  conveyed,  as  passenger  from  Suez, 
the  English  acting  Consul  and  his  French  colleague.  Nothing  whatever 
had  occurred  to  show  that  the  people  of  the  place  were  animated  with 
any  extraordinary  sentiment  of  hostility  towards  the  Christian  inhabi- 
tants. The  officer  of  the  steamer  had  made  excursions  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  town,  and  never  once  met  with  the  slightest  molestation  or  even 
insult;  and  even  on  the  very  evening  of  the  outbreak  several  had  been 
walking  about  in  the  bazaars  until  near  sunset,  without  the  least  appa- 
rent symptom  of  the  approaching  storm.  This  was  on  the  15th  ult.  In 
the  evening  a few  persons — Greek  residents  in  the  town — came  swim- 
ming off  to  the  ship,  and  stated  that  disturbances  had  arisen,  and  that 
they  feared  a conspiracy  had  been  entered  into  against  the  Christian 
inhabitants.  Everything,  however,  continued  in  appearance  perfectly 
quiet;  not  a shot  nor  a cry  was  heard,  though  the  savage  work  had  even 
then  already  commenced;  but  the  assassins  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
use  cold  steel  alone.  The  English  Consulate  was  the  first  point  of  attack, 
and  Mr.  Page,  the  acting  Consul  must  have  fallen  under  the  blows  of  a 
crowd  of  ruffians,  who  followed  up  the  murder  by  sacking  the  house  and 
tearing  down  the  flag.  The  unfortunate  man’s  body  is  said  to  have  been 
found  literally  hacked  to  pieces. 

“ Maddened  with  excitement  the  mob  appears  next  to  have  poured 
down  upon  the  house  of  the  French  Consul,  M.  Eveillard.  Here,  how- 
ever, the  Kaimakam,  or  governor  of  the  town,  made  some  feeble  attempt 
to  interpose;  the  force  at  his  disposal  amounted  to  only  eighty  men,  and 
whatever  efforts  they  may  have  used,  they  did  not  succeed  in  saving  the 
life  of  either  the  Consul  or  his  wife.  Both  were  murdered,  and  their 
daughter  alone — a young  lady,  who,  though  under  twenty  years  of  age, 
appears  to  have  possessed  the  spirit  of  a heroine — was  rescued  from  the 
hands  of  the  assassins,  and,  covered  with  an  Arab  cloak,  she  was  carried 
to  the  house  of  the  Kaimakam.  Her  face  was  laid  open  with  a gash  from 
a sabre-cut  across  the  cheek,  but  before  being  dragged  forth  she  had 
avenged  the  murder  of  her  father  by  the  death  of  the  assassin. 

“ Early  on  the  following  morning  Captain  Pullen,  still  ignorant  of 
what  had  occurred,  sent  two  boats  ashore.  When  they  neared  the  inner 
reefe  Turkish  soldiers  were  observed  warning  them  off ; they  con- 


APPENDIX. 


287 


tinued,  however,  to  advance  until  they  found  themselves  surrounded  by 
acroAvd  of  about  600  men,  who  from  the  outjutting  reefs  poured  a shower 
of  stones  upon  the  boats.  The  crews  were  fortunately  armed,  and  soon 
forced  their  way  back  to  the  ship,  not,  however,  without  having  been 
compelled  to  pour  a volley  of  musketry  into  their  assailants. 

“ The  crew  of  the  steamer  entreated  their  officers  to  be  allowed  to  take 
vengeance  upon  the  city,  if  not  by  laying  the  place  in  ashes,  at  least  by 
being  permitted  to  land,  even  though  at  the  risk  of  finding  themselves, 
at  most  200  men,  opposed  to  a population  of  40,000;  but  the  Kaimakam 
sent  repeated  messages  beseeching  Capt.  Pullen  to  desist  from  all  inter- 
ference, warning  him  that  his  own  house  was  surrounded  by  infuriated 
fanatics  clamoring  for  the  surrender  of  the  Christians  who  they  knew 
had  obtained  refuge  in  the  house,  and  declaring  that  were  a single  gun 
fired,  or  one  armed  man  landed  from  the  ship,  not  only  the  lives  of  the 
refugees,  but  also  his  own,  would,  to  a certainty,  be  sacrificed.  This 
officer  can  doubtless  not  have  yielded  without  a struggle,  and  no  other 
argument  would  probably  have  saved  the  city  from  its  well  merited 
doom.  Even  though  it  be  granted  that  only  a portion  of  the  inhabitants 
w<jre  actually  engaged  in  the  massacre,  none  had  a claim  for  pity  where 
all  had  stood  calmly  by  without  stretching  forth  a finger  to  protect  a 
handful  of  inoffensive  men  and  women  who  lived  among  them  relying 
upon  their  hospitality.  Neither  need  the  argument  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
Turkish  flag  have  had  any  weight  with  the  crew  of  a British  vessel  of 
war.  That  flag  had  failed  to  extend  to  their  fellow-Christians  the  pro- 
tection upon  which  they  had  relied,  and  might  well  have  been  utterly 
disregarded. 

“ On  the  20th  Naamik  Pasha  arrived  with  his  troops,  and  some  sem- 
blance of  order  was  restored.  Miss  Eveillard  and  other  rescued  Euro- 
peans were  transferred  on  board  the  ‘ Cyclops.’  In  spite  of  the  opposi- 
tion at  first  made  by  the  Pasha,  the  crew  and  marines  were  afterwards 
landed  with  the  British  and  French  colors,  and,  escorted  by  a body  of 
Turkish  infantry,  they  were  led  to  the  newly-made  grave,  over  which 
the  funeral  service  was  read,  and  the  English  and  French  flags  were 
rehoisted  under  a salute  of  twenty-one  guns.  On  the  24th  the  ‘ Cyclops  ’ 
sailed  for  Suez,  where  she  arrived  on  the  3d  inst.,  bringing  home  twenty- 
four  refugees.  The  number  murdered  at  Jeddah  was  twenty-one,  and 
at  the  present  moment  not  a Christian  remains  in  the  place. 

“ Naamik  Pasha  has  some  200  or  300  of  the  ringleaders  in  custody; 
but,  under  the  plea  of  not  having  the  power  of  life  and  death,  he  refers 


288 


APPENDIX. 


to  Constantinople.  This  is  a repetition  of  the  old  routine — depositions 
are  taken,  references  made  backwards  and  forwards,  while  months  elapse, 
and  gradually  the  whole  thing  is  forgotten  or  overlooked  by  all  excepting 
the  actors,  until  the  world  is  again  startled  by  a fresh  outbreak,  casting 
former  ones  in  the  shade.  Thus,  upwards  of  three  years  ago,  an  officer 
of  the  British  Land  Transport  Corps  on  service  at  Marash,  on  the  confines 
of  Anatolia  and  Syria,  was,  together  with  his  family,  assassinated  in  open 
day,  and  his  house  burnt  down  over  their  heads.  Up  to  this  time  noth- 
ing has  been  heard  of  any  punishment  having  been  dealt  out  to  their 
murderers.  More  lately,  again,  the  ruffians  who  at  Jaffa  broke  into  the 
house  of  an  American  missionary  and  murdered  him  and  his  family, 
with  the  accompaniment  of  every  imaginable  atrocity,  have,  by  the  same 
means  which  the  Turkish  authorities  will  bring  into  play  in  connection 
with  the  affair  at  Jeddah,  been  exempted  from  the  signal  punishment 
which  they  ought  long  ago  to  have  undergone,  but  for  which,  now, 
perhaps,  no  one  thinks  it  worth  while  to  press,  because  all  feel  that  the 
time  has  gone  by  when  its  infliction  might  have  afforded  a warning  and 
an  example. 

“ What  do  these  outbreaks  mean  ? — It  is  very  evident  that  the  spirit 
of  fiinaticism  is  rampant  throughout  the  Mahommedan  population.  We 
do  not  doubt  that  the  Turkish  government  will  do  all  in  its  power  to 
restrain  and  subdue  it,  but  the  government  is  weak,  and  in  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  empire  is  powerless.  The  London  religious  papers  look 
upon  these  events  as  the  beginning  of  the  end.  The  Christian  Times 
says  : — 

“ ‘ The  massacre  of  the  Christian  population  at  Jeddah,  by  the  infu 
riate  Mussulmans,  has  excited  great  indignation  this  week,  and  attracted 
attention,  not  only  as  an  awful  fact,  but  as  a symptom  of  a spread- 
ing danger.  For  a long  time  past  the  Christian  population  of  Syria  have 
been  under  the  apprehension  of  suffering  from  the  surrounding  Mahom- 
medans  the  treatment  the  English  have  undergone  in  India ; secret  agents 
are  exciting  the  Mussulmans,  and  even  at  Cairo  the  destruction  of  Chris- 
tians is  preached.  This,  together  with  the  affair  at  Montenegro,  and  the 
agitation  in  Candia,  are  the  threatening  symptoms  of  a malady  difficult 
to  heal — incurable  fanaticism.  It  will  doubtless  greatly  influence  the 
Conferences  now  meeting  in  Paris.  Is  the  Sultan  to  lead  his  people,  or 
is  he  to  be  chained  to  the  past  ? Whether  the  stern  revenge  which  prob- 
ably the  British  and  French  Governments  will  think  it  proper  to  take  on 
the  people  of  Jeddah,  and  their  firm  support  of  the  Sultan’s  liberal  plans, 


APPENDIX. 


289 


will  induce  the  Mussulmans  under  his  sway  to  submit  to  progress  and 
liberality,  it  is  hard  to  foresee.  Progress  and  liberality  are  too  often 
watered  with  the  best  blood  of  the  countries  in  which  they  eventually 
flourish.’  ” 


“ It  is  useless  to  bring  public  opinion  to  bear  on  such  people.  The 
only  reasonable  method  of  proceeding  would  be  to  give  them  notice  to  quit. 
The  Turks,  now  as  of  yore,  are  simply  encamped  in  Europe.  Nothing 
would  be  easier  for  them  than  to  decamp.  That  they  must  do  so  sooner  or 
later  is  certain.  They  are  absolutely  and  hopelessly  effete.  It  appears  even 
to  be  true  that,  by  a natural  process,  they  are  disappearing  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Every  year  more  Turks  die  than  are  born  throughout  the 
East.  In  a given  time  they  will  dwindle  to  so  manifest  a minority,  that 
their  subject  races  will  take  heart,  turn  upon  and  destroy  them.  For 
we  must  not  suppose  that  they  will  be  allowed  gradually  to  die  out,  nor 
picture  to  ourselves  the  last  Turk,  with  a venerable  white  beard,  taking 
his  departure  for  the  depths  of  Central  Asia,  whence  his  ancestors  ori- 
ginally came.  When  the  opportunity  presents  itself,  unless  a prudent 
retreat  is  made  by  them  in  time,  the  episodes  of  the  Janissaries  and  the 
Mamlooks  will  be  repeated  on  a grand  scale.  They  have  themselves  set 
the  example,  and  proclaimed  that  the  only  thing  that  can  be  done  with 
obstructives  is  to  destroy  them. 

“ If  Europe  has  its  duties  towards  Turkey,  Turkey  has  its  duties 
towards  Europe.  If  Europe  owes  protection  to  the  Ottoman  empire,  that 
empire  owes  consideration  to  the  peace  of  Europe.  Either  the  Turks  are 
competent  to  maintain  their  own  rights  or  they  are  not.  If  they  are, 
the  whole  of  this  discussion  is  eminently  gratuitous,  and  Admiral  Dundas 
may  as  well  bring  the  fleet  home  from  Besika  Bay.  If  they  are  not  they 
must  rely  on  the  succor  of  others,  and  it  is  as  clear  as  reason  can  make 
it  that  this  succor  must  be  accepted,  not  on  their  own  terms,  but  on  the 
terms  of  those  who  lend  it.  The  Porte  cannot  pretend  to  combine  the 
advantages  of  independence  and  protection.  If  it  goes  to  war  on  its  own 
decision  and  its  own  responsibility,  it  may  commence  hostilities  at  dis- 
cretion ; but  if  it  goes  to  war  with  British  ships  and  French  soldiers,  it 
can  have  no  right  to  wrest  the  initiative  from  the  hands  of  England  and 
France.  The  Four  Powers  have  publicly  acknowledged  their  desire  and 
their  obligation  to  protect  the  independence  of  Turkey,  but  it  is  per- 
fectly preposterous  to  demand  that,  when  the  object  can  be  attained,  by 
pacific  negotiations,  they  should  select,  in  preference,  the  process  of  a 

13 


290 


APPENDIX. 


war,  whicli  would  infallibly  be  terrible  for  humanity,  and  might  possibly 
be  ruinous  to  themselves.  Such  a policy  would  be  destructive  even  to 
the  very  empire  under  protection.  What  would  be  the  results  of  a gen- 
eral war  no  living  being  could  venture  to  conjecture ; but,  if  there  is  any 
one  point  certain  it  is  this — that  at  its  close  there  would  be  no  Turkey 
in  Europe. 

“ But  the  policy  of  the  Conference,  it  is  said,  is  unsatisfactory  to  the 
State  aggrieved,  and  unduly  deferential  to  the  State  in  fault.  There  is  no 
wrong  on  the  side  of  Turkey,  and  there  is  all  the  wrong  on  the  side  of 
Russia.  To  decide  that  Russia  should  be  requested  to  evacuate  at  her  con- 
venience a territory  which  she  had  nefariously  invaded,  and  that  Turkey 
should  be  recommended  to  consider  a cessation  of  the  outrage  as  redress 
and  compensation  in  full,  is  to  arrange  terms  of  very  little  equity  between 
parties  thus  situated.  It  may  be  so,  but  the  result  is  due  to  the  very 
nature  of  the  problem  before  the  world.  To  ‘ maintain  the  integrity  of 
the  Ottoman  empire,*  m the  sense  sometimes  attributed  to  the  phrase, 
can  never  be  a political  duty,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  a political 
impossibility.  Europe  has  been  ‘ maintaining  * this  fabric  for  nearly  a 
century,  and  how  has  it  been  maintained  ? Half  its  dominions  have 
been  lost.  Algiers,  Egypt,  Greece,  the  Archipelago,  and  Bessarabia 
were  once  portions  of  the  ‘ Ottoman  empire;’ — to  what  governments  do 
they  pertain  now?  What  ‘justice’  did  Turkey  receive  at  the  hands  of 
Europe  when  the  Porte  was  excluded  from  the  provisions  of  1815  ? — 
when  the  Greek  insurgents  were  proteeted  by  the  cannon  of  the  allies 
against  their  legitimate  master  ? — when  the  Sultan  was  compelled  by  the 
Five  Powers  not  only  to  pardon  a rebellious  vassal,  who  had  threatened 
the  very  throne  of  Othman,  but  to  confirm  this  rebel  in  the  hereditary 
possession  of  his  pashalic  ? In  every  instance  of  intervention  which  has 
occurred  since  the  decline  of  the  Turkish  empire  the  interposing  States 
have  enforced  conclusions  theoretically  irreconcilable  with  the  rights  of 
an  independent  monarchy.  Nor  could  it  possibly  be  otherwise.  The 
plain  truth  is,  that  a dominion  so  unwieldly,  ruinous,  and  unnatural, 
could  not  really  be  ‘ maintained  in  its  integrity,’  nor  can  all  the  Powers 
of  Europe  do  more  than  mitigate  the  successive  symptoms  of  decay,  and 
avert  by  prudent  concert  the  consequences  of  a violent  catastrophe.  ’ ’ 


APPENDIX. 


291 


III.  KUSSIA. 

In  these  Lectures  and  in  others  I have  expressed  an  op-nlon  deduced 
from  the  page  of  prophecy,  that  Russia  is  destined  to  advance  Eastward, 
and  end  her  history  amid  signal  and  consuming  judgments  in  Palestine. 
Ezekiel  xxxviii.  and  xxxix.  are  her  history. 

The  following  extracts  are  in  some  degree  confirmatory  of  this  polarity 
of  Russia  : — 

“ The  Muscovite  Jerusalem, — According  to  the  CT'/iirers,  there  exists 
not  far  from  Moscow  a place  rejoicing  in  the  euphonious  title  of  ‘ Vos- 
kreseenskoe.’  The  interpretation  of  this  outlandish  term  is  ‘ The  New 
Jerusalem;’  in  other  words,  it  is  a counterfeit  of  the  Holy  City.  One  of 
its  chief  places  of  attraction  is  a mock  tomb,  called  the  Saviour’s  Sepul- 
chre, to  which  crowds  of  ‘ the  pious  ’ continually  flock  for  the  purpose  of 
offering  prayers  for  the  deliverance  of  the  real  tomb.  They  are  taught 
also  to  supplicate  Heaven  for  the  extermination  of  those  who  guard  the 
‘ holy  places,’  and  to  invoke  a like  curse  upon  such  as  have  betrayed  the 
Christian  cause  by  becoming  their  allies. 

‘ It  appears  that  this  imaginary  Jerusalem  consists  of  a vast  temple, 
the  site  of  which  corresponds  with  that  of  Palestine,  save  in  the  absence 
of  a bright  sky  and  a glowing  sun.  The  resemblance  in  the  natural 
position  is  rendered  perfect  by  immense  artificial  works,  so  as  to  remove 
the  illusion  almost  beyond  the  power  of  discovery.  On  one  side  of  the 
structure  is  a brook,  upon  the  banks  of  which  are  inscriptions  announ- 
cing that  the  pilgrim  has  reached  Kedron,  while  on  the  other  side  is  an 
eminence  called  the  Mount  of  Olives;  then  on  passing  a spacious  crenel- 
lated enclosure,  the  beholder  sees  before  him  a grand  edifice,  in  imita- 
tion of  the  one  erected  over  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  having  an  immense 
cupola,  and  all  the  accessories  belonging  to  its  famous  prototype.  The 
effect  is  said  to  be  quite  bewildering.  This  impression  increases  after 
having  penetrated  into  the  interior,  where  all  the  details  of  the  true  tem- 
ple are  minutely  copied,  where  the  sanctums,  the  altars,  the  tombs — in 
all  their  dimensions — and  where  the  paintings  and  the  ornaments  are  all 
of  the  same  kind  as  those  at  Jerusalem.  In  the  inner  sanctuary,  too, 
there  are  the  seven  lamps  kept  continually  burning,  and  so  complete  is 
the  deception  that  there  is  an  equal  degree  of  emotion  excited  among  the 
ignorant  peasantry  as  in  the  sacred  grotto  itself.  Such  is  the  Musco- 


292 


APPENDIX. 


vite  Jerusalem.  The  invention  of  this  extraordinary  sham  is  attributed 
to  Alexis,  father  of  Peter  the  Great. 

“ And  now  as  to  the  motive  for  so  strange  a creation.  Among  the 
objects  ft>und  upon  the  wounded  Russians  at  Inkerman  was  a Slavonic 
book,  well  besmeared  and  smoke-scented,  and  purporting  to  be  a guide 
to  the  above-mentioned  fabric.  This  work  discloses  a secret  which  the 
ingenuity  of  western  speculators  has  failed  to  worm  out.  It  shows  that 
the  Czars  have  had  another  pole  of  attraction  besides  Constantinople; 
they  have  fixed  their  greedy  gaze  upon  the  fallen  city  of  the  Hebrew. 
In  order  to  gain  possession  of  the  Ottoman  capital,  they  have  appealed 
to  the  cupidity  of  their  subjects  ; they  have  pointed  to  the  sunny  south 
as  their  heritage;  they  have  depicted  it  as  the  ‘ land  of  milk  and  honey,’ 
which  they  are  destined  to  seize  and  inherit.  But  their  day-dreams  have 
not  been  content  with  so  rich  an  inheritance  as  that.  They  have  also 
aspired  to  plant  their  eagles  upon  the  hill  of  Zion,  to  see  their  vultures 
hovering  with  outstretched  wings  over  the  desecrated  fane  of  Salem.  To 
realise  this  grand  vision,  not  only  have  they  operated  upon  the  baser 
passions  of  their  people;  not  only  have  they  fed  their  lust  for  conquest 
and  plunder,  but  endeavored  to  excite  their  fanaticism,  to  awaken  their 
religous  enthusiasm.  In  short,  they  have  preached  a new  crusade. 
‘The  empire  of  the  Koran  must  be  destroyed,’  say  the  Czars.  ‘The 
profaned  and  desecrated  lands  of  the  East,  once  hallowed  by  the  tread  of 
angels  and  blessed  with  the  presence  of  Divinity,  must  be  recovered,  and 
the  broad  highway  to  this  sacred  prize  is  through  the  fertile  provinces  of 
the  Turk.  Constantinople  is  the  gate  to  Jerusalem.’ 

“ As  a remembrance  of  this  high  destiny  the  Czars  have  erected  in  the 
heart  of  their  empire  a structure  modeled  upon  the  oft-visited  church  of 
the  Nativity.  They  have  styled  it  ‘ VoskrCseenskoe,’  or  ‘ the  New  Jeru- 
salem.’ Thousands  of  pilgrims  visit  its  shrine  every  year,  and  they  are 
encouraged  to  perform  that  ‘ holy  act  ’ as  a means  of  impressing  strongly 
upon  their  minds  the  thought  of  Jerusalem  itself — that  ‘ future  capital  of 
the  Orient.’  The  Muscovite  rulers  teach  their  subjects  that  the  deliver- 
ance of  the  Desolate  City  must  not  remain  unaccomplished.  That  is  to 
be  the  supreme  end  of  all  their  fond  hopes,  an  1 toward  its  attainment  no 
species  of  cunning  is  left  unemployed.” — (Illust.  JVews.) 

“ The  invasion  of  the  Holy  Places  at  Jerusalem  by  Russian  schismatics 
is  going  on  every  day  with  singular  rapidity.  We  mentioned  a short 
time  since  with  what  solemnity  the  Russian  church  was  sending  preach- 
ers into  Palestine,  but  we  have  now  to  state  something  still  more  impor- 


APPENDIX. 


293 


tant.  The  Russian  Government  has  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  seven 
new  establishments  in  the  holy  countries  for  its  clergy  and  its  pilgrims. 
It  is  about  to  erect  at  Jerusalem  a bishop’s  residence,  a church,  a consu- 
late, and  two  hospitals.  Two  other  hospitals  will  be  founded  at  Jafla 
and  Bethlehem.  The  Czar  has  also,  it  is  said,  taken  other  measures  to 
strengthen  his  influence  in  the  Holy  Land.  Such  facts,  accomplished 
under  our  very  eyes,  are  of  a nature  to  excite  the  solicitude  and  zeal  of 
Roman  Catholic  France.” — {Union^  1858.) 

“ Extract  from  a Sermon  on  the  Cause  of  the  TVar^  hy  Rev.  TVm. 
Schauffler,  for  many  years  a Missionary  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  in 
Turkey. — But  all  this  does  not  bring  us  a clear  and  true  result  in  our 
inquiry,  which  is  necessarily  and  naturally,  what  is  the  character  of  the 
cause  ? What  are  these  thousands  and  scores  of  thousands  fighting  for  ? 
Ask  the  people  in  Russia.  There  is  no  man  or  woman,  in  Russia  I mean, 
who  is  not  familiar  with  the  Emperor’s  design  to  seize  Turkey,  and  reside 
in  Constantinople.  The  more  intelligent  understand  the  further  bear- 
ings; which  are,  Russia  will  rule  the  Mediterranean,  and  be  a mistress 
in  Europe.  This  they  consider  the  divine  destiny  and  mission  of  their 
nationality.  The  priests  see  still  farther.  The  means,  pretty  successfully 
employed  in  Russia,  to  draw  in  by  fraud  and  keep  in  by  force,  the  mem- 
bers of  religious  communities,  will  be  carried  all  over  the  Old  World. 
Protestant  missions  will  be  crushed,  Bible  and  Tract  Societies  crippled  by 
laws  and  restrictions,  and  the  Russian  priests  live  in  their  millennial  glory. 
Of  these  plans,  which  are  perfectly  transparent  to  every  reasonable  man 
in  Russia,  European  Governments  have  comprehended  at  least  the  political 
part.  Few  see  the  ecclesiastical  and  religious,  which,  however,  to  us  is 
the  burden  of  the  inquiry.  To  carry  out  these  plans  immense  fortresses 
and  navies  are  built,  unlooked-for  interferences  attempted,  revolutions 
kindled  among  the  subjects  of  this  country ; false  pretences  spread  before 
the  world,  war  commenced  in  time  of  peace.  Is  all  this  right  ? No  ! No  ! 
Has  Europe  a right  to  resist  it  ? Not  a right  only,  but  both  right  and 
duty — more  still — a necessity.” 

“ A certain  authority  is  attached  by  foreign  politicians  to  the  state- 
ments of  the  Morning  Post,  on  account  of  its  real  or  supposed  connec- 
tion with  Lord  Palmerston.  We  mention  this,  because  that  journal 
brings  to-day  a charge  of  a very  grave  character  against  the  Russian 
Government — nothing  more  nor  less,  in  fact,  than  that  the  discontent  of 
our  Indian  troops,  which  has  now  broken  out  into  mutiny,  is  the  work  of 


294 


APPENDIX. 


Eussian  agents,  instructed  and  paid  directly  by  the  Foreign-Office  at  St. 
Petersburg.  ‘ There  is  abundant  evidence,’  says  the  Post,  ‘ both  in  Fort 
William  and  Leadenhall-street,  of  the  proceedings  of  these  Muscovites, 
and  we  should  not  be  at  all  surprised  if  some  of  the  Oude  nobles  and 
functionaries,  and  some  of  the  Brahmins,  were  under-agents  in  the  pay 
of  the  paramount  and  superior  practitioners  who  were  immediately  in- 
structed by  the  Russian  Chancery.’  ” 

“ During  the  first  moments  of  a great  public  calamity  there  is  such 
indecent  haste  in  the  public  mind  to  throw  blame  upon  somebody  that 
people  are  not  very  discriminating  whom  they  select.  The  rule  of  the 
East  India  Company  is,  we  all  know,  not  perfection.  But  it  by  no  means 
follows  that  the  cause  of  this  revolt  is  to  be  traced  to  any  defects  in  the 
present  system  of  government:  It  seems  at  least  probable  that  the 
Sepoys,  urged  on  by  infamous  Russian  agents,  intent  only  upon  embar- 
rassing British  rule,  have  been  led  to  believe  that  they  could  easily  make 
themselves  masters  of  the  country,  and  thus  relieve  themselves  from  all 
duty  and  discipline.  The  JVord  may  sneer  as  it  will  at  The  Daily  Tel- 
egraph for  holding  these  opinions — borrowed,  as  it  says,  from  the  Morn- 
ing Post  and  Times ; but,  if  I mistake  not,  they  will  meet  with  pretty 
general  acceptance  in  England,  and  will  not  be  held  to  be  very  wide  of 
the  truth  even  on  the  Continent.” — {Daily  Telegraph.) 

“The  prevailing  passion  of  the  Russian  nation,”  says  the  historian 
Alison,  “is  the  love  of  conquest;  and  this  ardent  desire  is  the  unseen 
spring  which  impels  their  accumulated  force  in  ceaseless  advance  over  all 
the  adjoining  States.  Domestic  grievances,  how  great  soever,  are  over- 
looked in  the  thirst  for  foreign  aggrandisement.  In  the  conquest  of  the 
world  the  people  hope  to  find  a compensation,  and  more  than  a com- 
pensation, for  all  the  evils  of  their  interior  administration.  Every 
Russian  is  inspired  with  the  conviction  that  his  country  is  one  day  to 
conquer  the  world ; and  the  universal  belief  of  this  result  is  one  of  the 
chief  causes  of  the  rapid  strides  which  Russia  of  late  years  has  made 
towards  its  realisation.  The  meanest  peasant  in  Russia  is  impressed  with 
the  belief  that  his  country  is  destined  to  subdue  the  world.” 

“ The  leading  journal  lately  remarked  in  reference  to  the  speculations 
afloat  as  to  whether  the  sleepless  agency  of  Russia  was  at  work  in  Persia, 
China,  and  India — ‘ that  it  would  be  a much  more  pertinent  inquiry 


APPENDIX. 


295 


whether  the  same  agency  was  not  in  full  activity  in  this  country.  ’ That 
there  is  need  for  such  inquiry  we  need  only  point  to  the  fact,  that  never 
at  any  former  period  were  so  many  orders  from  Russia  and  its  Govern- 
ment in  the  hands  of  our  engineers,  shipbuilders  and  founders.  All  the 
material  to  be  thus  supplied  is  either  intended  avowedly  for  the  purposes 
of  war,  or  can  be  made  available  in  the  hands  of  our  late  enemy  for  such. 
It  is  thus  to  be  feared  thaft  the  occurrence  of  a fresh  misunderstanding, 
or  the  outbreak  of  a new  quarrel,  about  the  ‘ sick  man’s  ’ professions, 
will  find  Russia  prepared  to  encounter,  it  may  be,  a ‘ world  in  arms.’ 
It  is  painful  to  think  that  the  munitions  of  war  on  which  she  will  then 
rely  for  vindicating  the  quarrel  which  she  will  only  be  too  eager  to  pro- 
voke, have  been  forged  in  the  workshops  of  Great  Britain.  It  may  be 
contrary  to  sound  maxims  of  peace  polity  to  interfere  in  this  matter;  but 
it  is  easy  to  fancy  the  surprise— -not  unmixed  with  regret — which  our 
brave  soldiers  and  sailors  will  feel,  when  they  discover  that  the  guns  of 
the  battery  which  they  have  at  the  expense  of  so  much  blood  succeeded 
in  silencing,  were  fabricated  by  the  hands  of  their  own  admiring  coun- 
trymen ! Verily  Russian  agency  is  at  work,  and  that  at  our  own 
doors.” 


IV.  ROME. 

I have  also  frequently  referred  to  the  rapid  decadence  of  Romanism, 
and  the  probable  approach  of  her  final  judgments.  Let  anybody  take 
up  the  Roman  correspondence  of  a daily  paper,  and  he  will  be  struck  at 
the  rapidity  with  which  events  rush  to  a crisis.  The  Times'"  corres- 
pondent thus  writes  very  lately  : — 

“ At  Rome,  as  I have  shown  in  former  letters,  things  are  not  so  bad 
as  this,  but  there  are  plenty  of  other  grounds  of  complaint.  The  Romans, 
however,  no  longer  condescend  to  details — they  have  long  since  made 
out  their  case  to  their  own  satisfaction  and  to  that  of  all  impartial  per- 
sons who  have  taken  the  trouble  to  investigate  and  consider  it.  They 
comprise  all  their  grievances  under  one  head — that  of  clerical  govern- 
ment. They  regard  it,  and  justly,  as  the  source  of  all  their  sufierings, 
and  the  one  great  bar  to  the  progress  and  improvement  of  their  coun- 


296 


APPENDIX. 


try.  To  it  they  trace  every  evil  they  endure.  It  is  against  the  rule 
of  the  priests  that  they  have  repeatedly  risen  in  insurrection,  that 
they  continually  tacitly  protest,  and  that  they  constantly  threaten  a 
revolution,  prevented  only  by  Swiss  mercenaries  and  foreign  garrisons. 
It  is  not  against  the  Pope  personally  that  their  dislike  is  directed ; the 
question  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  that  of  his  temporal  sovereignty,  still 
less  that  of  his  spiritual  authority.  I am  far  from  saying  that  he  is  either 
loved  or  respected  in  his  dominions.  His  weak  and  vascillating  character 
is  not  calculated  to  command  the  latter  feeling.  When  there  was  lately  a 
talk  (founded,  I believe,  in  part,  on  a steam-corvette  having  been  ordered 
in  England)  of  his  making  a pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  the  wish  was  pretty 
generally  expressed  that  he  might  never  return  to  Rome  or  have  a suc- 
cessor there.  But  he  is,  in  fact,  too  insignificant  a political  character  to 
be  the  object  of  very  bitter  hatred.  With  a secular  Government,  a lay 
Administration,  he  might  be  a fair  enough  Prince  Regnent  as  times  go. 
So  feeble  a character  would  probably  always  be  more  or  less  under  the 
sway  of  his  Prime  Minister.  What  the  Romans  desire  is  to  replace 
Cardinal  Antonelli  (the  present  real  ruler  of  the  Pontifical  States),  his 
clerical  colleagues,  and  the  whole  battalion  of  official  priests  and  prelates, 
by  laymen.  If  it  be  laid  down  that  a priest-sovereign  can  govern  only 
by  clerical  IMinisters,  then  there  can  be  no  doubt  what  the  Romans  would 
demand.  Their  cry  would  be,  ‘ Down  with  Pope,  Cardinals,  Priests  and 
Prelates ! ’ The  knotty  question,  which  has  never  yet,  I think,  been  frankly 
answered,  is,  whether  the  Papacy  be  incompatible  with  the  civil  institu- 
tions of  the  19th  century  ? The  Romans  ask  why,  if  it  be  not  thus  incom- 
patible, the  suggestions  contained  in  Louis  Napoleon’s  well-known  letter 
to  Edgar  Ney  be  not  adopted  ? They  ask  for  secularisation.  They  do 
not  see  why  the  Pontiff — a temporal  as  well  as  a spiritual  potentate — 
should  restrict  his  choice  of  Ministers  and  public  functionaries  to  a hand- 
ful of  ecclesiastics,  to  the  exclusion  of  his  3,090,000  of  lay  subjects, 
^ome  of  the  upholders  of  the  present  system  have  asserted  that  the  Roman 
j relates  are  laymen.  It  is  certainly  not  necessary  to  have  taken  priest’s 
orders  to  be  a prelate  or  even  a cardinal;  but  it  is  idle  to  say  that  the 
peculiar  class  which  in  the  Roman  hierarchy  are  styled  prelates  do  not 
form  part  of  the  ecclesiastical  caste,  sharing  its  interests,  ideas,  and  pre- 
judices. If  it  be  maintained,  as  I have  somewhere  seen  it  done,  that 
they  are  the  pick  of  the  laity,  specially  adapted  to  administrative  func- 
tions, it  is  easy  to  overthrow  this  assertion  by  notorious  facts.  The  edu- 
cation of  the  prelates  and  the  restrictions  imposed  upon  them  tend,  on 


APPENDIX. 


297 


the  contrary,  to  incapacitate  them  for  rulers  and  adaiinistrators.  The 
chief  studies  of  young  men  destined  to  the  prelacy  are  theology  and 
canonical  science.  By  the  Canon  Law  they  are  forbidden  to  exercise  any 
trade,  to  be  bankers,  manufacturers,  or  merchants.  This  can  hardly  be 
considered  a good  means  of  qualifying  them  to  become  Ministers  of  Fi- 
nance, Commerce,  Public  Works,  or  administrators  of  towns  or  prov- 
inces. Of  medical  science  they  are  forbidden  to  know  anything;  they 
are  not  even  permitted  to  be  present  at  a surgical  operation.  Nevertheless, 
all  the  civil  hospitals  in  the  Roman  States  are  under  the  direction  of  pre- 
lates; the  care  of  the  public  health  and  sanitary  establishments  of  all 
kinds  are  exclusively  confided  to  them.  They  are  forbidden  to  serve  in 
the  army,  and  it  is  therefore  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  they  have  always 
displayed  singular  talent  as  military  organizers,  and  if  ‘ Soldat  du  Pape'' 
has  become  a byword  of  derision  in  European  armies.  Celibacy  is  strictly 
imposed  upon  them,  as  the  most  indispensable  condition  of  their  remain- 
ing members  of  the  ecclesiastical  caste.  The  ablest,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished prelate,  if  he  marries,  ceases  to  be  one,  and  is  held  no  longer 
fit  to  share  in  the  government  of  the  country.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
point  out  the  effect  of  this  last  strictly-enforced  condition.  To  say  noth- 
ing of  its  leading  to  vice,  even  of  the  most  shameless  kind,  it  precludes 
those  ties  which  most  strongly  attach  men  to  their  country.  \\'ith  regard 
to  this  point  one  of  the  most  zealous  supporters  of  the  present  Roman 
system  defined,  in  few  words,  as  follows,  the  arguments  presented  by 
the  opponents  of  ecclesiastical  government : — ‘ The  priest,  destined  to 
defend  the  interests  of  Heaven,  knows  nothing  of  those  of  the  earth ; having 
no  family,  the  prosperity  of  the  country  is  of  little  importance  to  him ; 
separated  from  society,  he  cannot  know  its  true  wants;  with  him  the 
espi'tt  de  corps  overrules  the  spirit  of  nationality.’  The  late  M.  de 
Rayneval  stated  these  arguments  with  the  intention  of  refuting  them,  a 
purpose  in  which  it  is  generally  acknowledged  that  he  signally  failed. 

“ It  will  not  be  alleged,  even  by  the  bigoted,  that  there  are  not  among 
those  who  profess  the  Catholic  faith,  and  are  sincerely  attached  to  it, 
both  in  Italy  and  elsewhere,  men  of  enlightened,  honorable,  liberal,  and 
tolerant  minds.  Many  of  these  have  always  desired,  and  they  still  desire 
more  earnestly  than  ever,  and  in  the  interest  of  the  faith  to  which  they 
belong,  that  the  Papacy  should  be  disembarrassed  of  the  onerous  burden 
which  temporal  power  imposes  on  it,  and  they  are  convinced  that  if  it 
were  so  disengaged  it  would  be  much  more  respected  and  more  inde- 
pendent. 


13 


298 


APPENDIX. 


“ That  opinion  is,  I find,  making  some  way  even  among  ecclestastics. 
It  is  perhaps  a bold  opinion  for  a priest  to  advocate  publicly;  one,  how- 
ever, has  been  found  to  do  so.  A French  ecclesiastic,  the  Abbe  J.  H. 
Michon,  has  just  published  a pamphlet  of  62  pages  on  the  subject,  enti- 
tled La  Papaute  a Jerusalem,  and  he  supports  the  proposition  implied 
in  that  title  with  much  good  reasoning,  and  at  the  same  time  with  the 
greatest  respect  for  the  Holy  See.  He  thinks  that  the  influence  of  mod- 
ern ideas  having  produced  no  eifect  on  the  Roman  administration,  the 
progressive  element  of  the  nation  has  become  a formidable  enemy  to  the 
stationary  element  of  the  Pontifical  Government ; that  the  old  machine 
may,  it  is  true,  go  on  well  or  ill,  so  long  as  it  is  aided  by  foreign  diplo- 
macy or  foreign  occupation;  but  that  the  moment  these  are  withdrawn 
the  Papacy  will  be  exposed,  helpless,  to  revolution,  and  that  the  danger 
is  imminent.  The  solution  of  that  difficult  question  is  not  to  be  found, 
the  Abbe  Michon  thinks,  in  political,  administrative,  or  civil  reform,  nor 
in  the  secularization  of  power,  which  would  encounter  innumerable  ob- 
stacles in  the  clerical  organization  and  the  prejudices  which  control  the 
Papacy.  It  is  to  be  found  only  in  the  abdication  of  temporal  power. 
He  is  not  of  opinion,  that  in  such  a case,  the  capital  of  what  may  be 
termed  the  Spiritual  Papacy  could  be  Rome.  It  would  lose  in  dignity, 
and  would  still  suffer  from  political  complications.  He  believes  that 
there  is  but  one  city,  which  out  of  Italy,  and  indeed  out  of  Europe,  pre- 
sents conditions  indispensable  to  its  independence  and  grandeur,  and 
where  a new  era  for  the  mission  of  a true  apostle  would  open,  and  that  city 
is  Jerusalem.  The  Abbe  is  aware  that  the  project  would  not  be  over-pleas- 
ing to  the  political  world  of  Rome,  who  would  not  willingly  exchange  a 
grand  and  splendid  seat  for  the  lowly  but  hallowed  residence  of  Jerusa- 
lem, though  he  assures  us  that  the  plan  has  gained  the  acquiescence  of 
several  political  personages  in  Europe.  At  Jerusalem  the  Pope  would 
cease  to  be  a foreign  Sovereign,  and  would  become,  what  he  was  in  the 
commencement,  the  spiritual  and  inviolable  head  of  Catholicity.  There 
no  Government  Could  exercise  an  undue  influence  over  his  acts.  As  the 
Sultan  is  now  protected  by  the  whole  of  the  Powers  for  the  benefit  of 
Europe  at  large,  so,  but  in  a still  greater  measure,  would  the  ii^depen- 
dence  of  the  Pope  be  guaranteed  by  all  Catholic  countries,  while  the 
prestige  his  spiritual  authority  would  gain  by  its  exercise  in  the  Holy 
City,  where  the  stupendous  events  on  which  Christianity  itself  reposes 
were  accomplished,  is  incalculable.  In  its  material  interests  the  Papacy 
would  be  better  off  than  it  is  at  present;  its  resources  would  be  multi- 


APPENDIX. 


299 


plied,  as  tlicre  is  not  a Catholic  Power  that  would  hesitate  to  contribute 
to  them.  Rome  would  receive  from  Spain  not  less  than  3,000,000  francs 
annually;  and,  as  a purely  spiritual  power,  the  Pope  would  be  spared  the 
expense  of  a political  status.  The  Abbe  Michon  concludes  as  follows  ; — 

‘ May  Rome  not  refuse  to  recognize  before  it  be  too  late  who  are  her  true 
friends;  may  she  distinguish  between  those  impetuous  and  indiscreet 
writers  who  urge  her  to  extreme  measures  in  order  to  exercise  dominion 
over  her,  and  to  make  use  of  her,  and  the  modest  and  moderate  men 
who  have  undertaken  the  ungrateful  task  of  saying  what  they  believe  to 
be  the  truth, and  who  would  blush  to  have  recourse,  even  to  please  her,  to 
a system  of  adulation  which  is  an  insult  to  the  holy  cause  they  defend.’ 

. . . The  chief  feature  in  the  social  state  of  Roipe  is  decidedly  an 

abhorrence  of  Papal  government,  and,  possibly,  it  might  be  added,  an 
increasing  indifference  to  religion.  Of  the  latter  point,  however,  I can- 
not speak  with  certainty ; only  I do  know  that  the  day  before  yesterday 
(the  Feast  of  the  Annunciation),  when  the  Pope  performed  mass  in  the 
church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo,  there  were  not  above  200  persons  in 
the  building,  besides  officials,  and  very  few  in  the  streets  to  see  the  dis- 
play of  military  and  state  carriages,  and  receive  his  Holiness’s  blessing 
as  he  passed.  I am  told,  indeed,  that  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  people  of 
Rome  to  run  up  side  streets  or  into  houses  as  they  see  the  Pope’s  carriage 
coming  along,  in  order  that  they  may  not  be  obliged  to  do  him  rever- 
ence.’ This,  surely,  is  a sad  falling  off  from  the  days  when  a Gregory, 
an  Innocent,  a Julius,  or  a Leo  thundered  forth  his  decrees  from  the 
Vatican  as  ‘ the  servant  of  the  servants,’  and  yet  the  Omnipotent  Lord 
here  below! 

“ In  England  we  find  the  Papal  system  modified  according  to  the  exi- 
gencies of  an  heretical  land  and  an  unbelieving  race.  Would  you  know 
what  that  system  is  in  its  full  development,  go  to  Rome.  You  will  not 
at  first  be  conscious  of  the  horrors  with  which  you  are  surrounded.  A 
certain  season  must  be  given  to  day  dreams  in  the  Forum  and  to  night 
dreams  in  the  Coliseunu  The  artist’s  enthusiasm  must  be  allowed  to 
satiate  itself  on  the  marvellous  marbles  which  ancient  art  has  bequeathed 
to  us,  and  among  those  wonderM  pictures  which  seem  to  prescribe  the 
limits  of  the  painter’s  skill.  There  comes  a time,  however,  when  the 
feeling  for  these  things  passes  by.  Man  was  not  sent  into  the  world  to 
dream  away  life  among  ruins,  nor  to  practice  dilettantism  in  any  of  its 
alluring  forms.  Mix,  then,  gradually — but  with  exceeding  caution — 
with  the  Italians  who  inhabit  this  holy  town,  and  learn  from  them  the 
meaning  of  their  lives.  You  will  doubtless  meet  with  exaggeration 


300 


APPENDIX. 


enough — ^possibly  with  Msehood, — ^but  on  the  whole  there  will  be  such  a 
concurrence  of  testimony  in  proof  of  the  unutterable  turpitude  and  atr(>- 
cious  tyranny  of  the  Papal  Government  that  no  indifferent  person  could 
refuse  acquiescence  in  the  testimony  produced.  But,  if  words  will  not 
convince  your  mind,  look  around  you  ! What  you  see — th  vt  scene  of 
ruin  and  desolation — that  hotbed  of  fever,  with  its  stenches  avid  miasmas , 
was  once  the  capital  of  the  world.  When  heathens  held  it,  and  the 
high-priest,  with  the  silent  virgin  by  his  side,  ascended  the  Capitol  in 
honor  of  Jupiter,  Borne  was  supreme  among  the  nations.  In  the  hands 
of  ( hristians,  and  when  the  self-styled  Prince  of  the  Faithful  on  each 
returning  Easter-day  ascends  the  balcony  of  St.  Peter’s  to  bless  the  Holy 
City,  what  has  not  Borne  become  ! If  it  be  the  case , as  all  history  ap- 
pears to  suggest,  that  nations  and  kingdoms,  even  as  men  do,  perish  and 
decay  from  the  effect  of  their  own  vices  and  corruptions,  surely  the  sen- 
tence of  condemnation  has  been  branded  deeply  enough  upon  the  brow 
of  Pontifical  Borne.  But  the  ruin,  and  the  sickness,  and  the  poverty, 
and  the  desolation  above  ground  are  as  nothing  compared  with  what 
passes  in  the  interior  of  those  Boman  houses  and  in  the  dungeons,  the 
dark  secrets  of  which  are  but  occasionally  revealed  by  the  few  prisoners 
who  ever  escape  from  their  chains  to  tell  the  tale.  We  have  not  space 
nor  time  just  now  to  enter  upon  the  subject,  but  it  has  been  well  ascer- 
tained that  within  the  last  few  years  horrors  have  been  enacted  in  the 
Boman  prisons  for  which  parallels  must  be  sought  in  the  dungeons  of  the 
Spanish  Inquisition  when  that  tribunal  was  at  its  worst.  But  the  phys- 
ical torture — no!  nor  the  imprisonment  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
innocent  men — is  not  all.  Worse,  far  worse,  than  this  is  the  unutterable 
moral  pollution  which  overflows  upon  every  wretched  cottage  and  mis- 
erable lodging  in  this  Papal  land.  Get  some  Boman  who  has  accorded 
you  his  tardy  confidence  to  sit  by  your  side  under  an  old  archway,  when 
the  hot  air  and  bright  sun  of  Central  Italy  drive  you  to  some  cool  shelter, 
and  there  hear  what  he  has  to  say  of  the  doings  of  yonder  sablc-stoled 
priests,  who  sweep  past  you  in  silence  and  in  gloom.  Hear  his  story  of 
what  priests  do  at  Borne,  where  they  are  omnipotent,  and  you  will  see 
reasons  to  be  thankful  that  your  lot  was  not  cast  among  the  pollutions  to 
which  every  Boman  born  is  subject — he  and  his  family.  Civis  Roma- 
nus  sum!  How  pathetic  a complaint  do  the  words  now  imply;  hov/ 
much  misery  is  involved  in  that  brief  phrase  ! 

“We,  of  coui-se,  can  only  concern  ourselves  with  the  story  of  modern 
Borne  as  a political  question.  The  Pope  of  Borne  to  us  is  but  a temporal 


APPENDIX. 


801 


Prince,  who  grievously  oppresses  his  miserable  subjects,  and  whoso  mis- 
deeds are  likely  to  hurry  on  that  explosion  in  Central  Italy  which  sooner 
or  later  must  come.  The  French  garrison  has  been  reduced,  and  the 
Pope,  in  a fright,  has  sent  off  for  another  Swiss  regiment  to  guard  him 
from  the  consequences  of  the  too  enthusiastic  loyalty  of  his  subjects. 
The  police  espionage  of  Rome  has  been  screwed  up  to  the  level  of  that 
of  Naples.  The  project  for  withdrawing  the  paper  currency  has  proved 
a failure.  Every  obstacle  is  thrown  in  the  way  of  those  who  would 
carry  out  the  projected  railroads;  for  the  Cardinals  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  instant  their  wretched  serfs  begin  to  travel  and  mix 
with  their  fellow-creatures  there  is  an  end  of  their  dominion.  Only 
think  of  what  the  condition  of  that  population  must  be,  which  may 
become  too  enlightened  by  contact  with  the  lazzaroni  of  Naples!  He 
would  be  a bold  man  who  should  venture  to  predict  with  absolute  cer- 
tainty the  moment  when  that  power  which  has  held  the  human  race  in 
thraldom  for  so  many  centuries  shall  fall  to  rise  no  more;  but  certainly 
the  foundations  of  the  Papacy,  as  a temporal  power,  appear  sadly  shaken 
just  now.  AVere  the  French  garrison  withdrawn  to-morrow,  the  next 
day  Pio  None  might  reckon  himself  fortunate  if  he  escaped  the  ven- 
geance of  his  subjects  in  the  most  cunning  disguise  which  the  craft  of 
his  advisers  could  suggest.” 


V.  EARTHQUAKES. 

I have  alluded  to  our  Lord’s  prediction  of  earthquakes  as  premonitory 
of  the  eve  of  this  dispensation.  I have  observed  that,  within  the  last 
ten  years,  more  earthquakes  have  occurred  than  in  the  pirevious  century. 
I instance  one,  and  add  to  it  the  remarkable  article  in  the  Times : — 
“A  letter  from  Naples  of  the  18th  inst.,  gives  the  following  fuller 
particulars  of  the  shocks  of  this  frightful  earthquake  : — 

Naples  has  just  been  visited  by  several  shocks  of  earthquakes.  No 
great  damage  occurred  in  Naples,  as  the  buildings  are  strong,  but  no 
doubt  the  fright  and  the  night  air  will  cause  many  of  the  sick  w^ho  were 
brought  out  in  the  slight  covering  of  night,  to  die  of  cold.  The  follow- 


302 


APPENDIX. 


ing  is  the  news  which  reached  us  last  night  from  surrounding  parts  : — 
In  Sala  there  have  been  some  shocks.  In  Atene  half  the  houses  have 
fallen  down.  In  Padula  more  than  a hundred  houses  have  fallen,  and 
many  lives  lost.  In  Polla  the  disaster  is  great,  and  among  the  many 
victims  the  whole  of  the  brigade  of  gendarmes.  In  Auletta,  Petrosa, 
and  Caggiono,  the  deaths  and  destruction  of  property  are  great.  In  Sa- 
lerno many  edifices  are  rent  in  and  out;  two  churches  and  the  barracks 
severely  injured.  A despatch  from  the  intendente  of  Banlicata  has  just 
reached,  stating  that  in  Potenza  the  earthquake  was  most  severe,  and 
has  caused  much  damage  ; many  buildings  have  fallen,  burying  a great 
many  families.  From  Bari  the  telegram  is  incomplete,  merely  stating, 

‘The  inhabitants  in  great  numbers  have — .’  Vesuvius  is  now  in 

full  activity,  but  for  some  days  previous  to  the  earthquake  no  fire  issued 
from  the  crater.  Whenever  the  mountain  emits  fire  or  lava  we  feel 
quite  safe,  and  you  may  well  suppose  how  gratifying  is  the  present  ap- 
pearance of  our  safety-valve.  Whatever  accounts  you  may  read  of  the 
state  of  this  city  at  the  time  of  the  shocks,  it  will  fall  short  of  the  reality. 
Women  were  seen  carying  their  children — men  helping  some  old  father 
or  mother,  or  some  sick  person  wrapped  up  in  the  first  covering  avail- 
able. Women  screaming;  tearing  their  hair,  praying  and  calling  on 
their  patron  saint  and  the  Madonna  Immaculata,  all  passing  frantically 
in  densely-crowded  streets.  The  King,  on  hearing  of  these  disasters, 
ordered  the  public  functionaries  not  to  spare  anything  in  the  shape  of 
assistance.  His  Majesty  directed  the  intendant  to  proceed  to  the  scene 
of  the  catastrophe,  and  authorised  him  to  make  use  of  the  communal  and 
provincial  funds  to  aid  the  sufferers. 

“ A shock  of  earthquake  was  felt  in  the  night  of  the  18th  in  the  val- 
ley and  on  the  mountains  near  Libenzall  (Wurtemburg),  as  well  as  in 
that  town  itself.  The  oscillation  appeared  to  be  from  north  to  south. 
The  vibration  was  so  strong  that  many  of  the  houses  were  felt  to 
tremble,  and  the  windows  rattled. 

“ The  occurrence  of  an  earthquake  in  Europe,  were  it  even  slight  in 
character  and  partial  in  its  effect,  would  be  a phenomenon  well  worthy  of 
notice  amid  our  political  difficulties  and  commercial  embarrassments. 
We  are  so  accustomed  in  these  temperate  regions  to  the  regular  play  of 
those  great  laws  of  nature  which  are  in  accordance  with  human  security, 
Uiat  when  we  hear  that  for  many  thousands  of  our  fellow-creatures  the 
Dies  ircB — such  as  Dante  would  have  conceived  it — has  dawned  without 
warning,  we  cannot  but  pause  amid  the  usual  routine  of  life,  and  mark 


APPENDIX. 


303 


tlie  Instability  of  our  own  position.  The  sun  rises  and  sets,  day  follows 
night,  to-day  is  as  yesteixiay^and  to-morrow  will  be  the  same;  our  own 
calculations  are  ma^ile,  and  we  assume  that  all  will  go  on  as  usual  while 
we  are  playing  out  the  parts  assigned  to  us  upon  this  world’s  stage. 
The  thought  that  the  stage  itself  is  undermined,  that  the  slightest 
change  in  the  chymical  elements  beneath  our  feet  would  hurry  us  all  off 
to  a swift  destruction,  and  that  our  normal  condition  is  that  of  men  sep- 
arated but  by  a hair’s  breadth  from  a catastrophe  which  would  sweep  away 
this  earth  and  all  things  on  it  like  a parched  scroll,  is  not  one  which 
frequently  presses  itself  upon  the  consideration  of  the  digging,  spinning, 
scheming  lUth  century.  Let  us  admit  that,  according  to  all  observed 
phenomena,  the  British  islands  would  appear  to  be  tolerably  safe  from 
the  consequences  of  volcanic  action,  and  that  as  yet  there  ar  e no  signs 
abroad  to  suggest  the  conclusion  that  the  sequence  of  human  beings  upon 
this  planet  is  at  an  end.  We  may  be  caught,  and  we  have  been  caught 
in  other  ways.  The  blight  of  a single  esculent  root  has  swept  away  mil- 
lions of  our  fellow-countrymen  within  the  last  few  years,  and  in  a 
manner  infinitely  more  terrible  than  that  in  which  many  thousands  of 
the  Neapolitan  population  have  just  been  destroyed.  The  incidence  of  ^ 
such  calamities  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  quarter  of  the  globe. 
They  fall  within  the  tropics  in  one  form,  upon  the  temperate  zones  in 
another,  and  even  amid  the  long-continued  gloom  of  the  Polar  winters 
the  poor  Esquimaux  are  periodically  cleared  off  into  eternity  by  villages 
and  tribes.  In  reading,  then,  this  account  of  the  earthquake  which  has 
just  torn  up  the  soil  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  we  should  not  think  that 
the  dealings  of  Providence  with  human  beings  are  unequal  or  unjust, 
nor  lull  ourselves  into  false  security,  as  though  the  Neapolitan  peasants 
were  exposed  to  sufferings  from  the  equivalent  of  which  the  luxurious 
Londoner  is  free.  In  the  year  which  has  just  expired  we  have  had  our 
Indian  mutiny  and  our  commercial  crisis,  as  they  have  had  their  earth- 
quake and  their  own  especial  forms  of  calamity. 

“ The  catastrophe  of  the  South  of  Italy  seems  even  by  the  accounts  we 
have  as  yet  received  to  have  been  of  a very  fatal  character.  The  popular 
estimate  places  the  loss  of  human  life  at  about  20,000  persons — the  Gov- 
ernment computes  it  at  a lesser  estimate.  If  there  be  exaggeration  in 
the  first  calculation,  as  is  probable  enough,  it  is  certain,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  owing  to  the  rupture  of  the  electric  wires  and  the  suspension 
of  communication  the  Government  cannot  have  received  full  accounts  of 
the  extent  of  the  loss  from  many  of  the  outlying  districts.  It  is  also  in 


304 


APPENDIX. 


accordance  with  all  we  know  of  the  policy  of  Southern  Governments 
rather  to  underrate  the  amount  of  destruction  in  such  cases,  lest  the 
natural  alarm  of  the  population  should  degenerate  into  wild  and  unman- 
ageable panic.  The  immediate  destruction  of  human  life,  however,  will 
constitute  in  the  long  run  but  a slender  portion  of  the  sufferings  conse- 
quent upon  this  great  calamity.  Towns  and  villages  are  destroyed  or 
half  destroyed  in  every  direction.  The  daily  labor  of  the  population  is 
paralyzed,  and  even  in  those  fertile  regions  the  great  masses  of  the  pop- 
ulation only  exist  by  hard  and  daily  exertion.  The  most  ruinous  vio- 
lence of  the  earthquake  seems  to  have  spent  itself  mainly  upon  two  prov- 
inces, but  in  a lesser  degree  the  area  of  its  action  was  far  more  extensive. 
Some  idea  of  its  violence  may  be  formed  from  the  brief  notes  of  intelli- 
gence which  have  as  yet  reached  us.  In  Polla  there  was  so  great  a loss 
of  life  that  300  bodies  have  been  already  dug  out  of  the  ruins,  and  the 
ruins  have  not  yet  been  fully  explored.  In  Castelsano,  which  has  been 
levelled  with  the  ground,  four  hundred  persons  have  perished.  In 
Lagonegro  the  inhabitants  had  timely  warning,  and  made  good  their 
escape,  but  the  town  experienced  three  shocks  in  seven  hours.  Almost  all 
the  buildings  inclusive  of  the  church,  and  the  telegraph  station,  were 
cracked.  Nothing  was  solid  enough  to  resist  the  action  of  the  mighty 
subterranean  agencies  at  work.  We  will  take  but  another  instance, 
which  shall  be  that  of  Potenza,  the  capital  of  Basilicata.  This  is  a town 
of  12,000  inhabitants.  Not  a single  house  is  there  left  fit  for  human 
habitation.  ‘ The  palace  of  the  prefecture,  the  military  and  civil  hospital, 
the  barracks  of  the  gendarmes  and  of  the  reserve,  the  college  of  Jesuits, 
the  churches,  and  especially  the  cathedi  al,  are  all  rendered  useless,  and 
no  one  can  without  danger  cross  his  own  doorway.  They  were  continu- 
ing to  disinter  the  numerous  victims,  the  number  of  whom  was  un- 
known. The  whole  population  who  had  been  in  the  open  air  were  be- 
ginning to  take  shelter  in  wooden  barracks,  which  had  been  erected  for 
the  purpose.’  We  give  this  example  as  one  which  will  show  to  what 
sufferings  these  poor  people  have  been  subjected,  independently  of  their 
dead  and  of  their  sorrow  for  their  dead.  It  would  be  impossible,  we 
are  told  by  those  who  have  witnessed  these  terrible  Scenes,  to  exagger- 
ate the  terror  and  desolation  which  universally  prevail.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  the  districts  which  have  been  ‘so  severely  visited  know  what 
they  have  suffered,  but  they  know  not  what  they  may  suffer  next.  We 
published  on  Thursday  a fearful  list  of  towns  which  had  all  been  com- 
pletely or  partially  destroyed,  but  there  are  others  concerning  which  the 


APPENDIX. 


305 


Government  has  not  as  yet  furnished  particulars,  and  the  worst  inferen- 
ces are  drawn  from  this  official  silence.  All  that  could  be  done  at  the 
first  outbreak  of  such  a dire  calamity  seems  to  have  been  done  or  at- 
tempted. Beds,  medicine,  lint,  food,  nurses,  and  wood  for  barracks 
have  been  forwarded  with  all  speed  to  the  scenes  of  this  disaster.  In 
one  particular,  however,  the  benevolent  action  of  the  Government  has 
been  checked  in  a manner  which  can  scarcely  afford  matter  for  sur- 
prise, when  we  remember  what  the  character  for  peculation  cf  the  Nea- 
politan officials  has  notoriously  been,  and  how  the  Government  itself  has 
misappropriated  such  funds.  Orders  were  issued  from  Naples  that  the 
communal  treasuries  should  be  opened  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers,  but 
the  money  had  disappeared. 

“ The  capital  itself  does  not  seem  to  have  actually  suffered  any  disaster. 
There,  as  elsewhere,  the  action  of  the  subterranean  agencies  was  felt  to 
such  a degree  as  might  have  justified  apprehension  even  in  firm  and 
sober  minds;  but,  not  very  unnaturally,  the  wildest  terror  seems  to  have 
seized  upon  the  inhabitants.  They  rushed  out  of  their  houses  as  soon  as 
the  awful  cry  of  ‘ The  earthquake  ! the  earthquake  !’  was  raised,  and 
they  felt  the  first  shocks.  For  nights  they  encamped  in  the  open  squares. 
That  hideous  horde  of  ruffians  which  may  be  found  in  every  great  city, 
but  which  is  only  seen  when  revolution,  or  pestilence,  or  when,  as  here, 
an  earthquake  is  at  work,  pervaded  the  streets  in  all  directions,  but  chiefly 
directed  their  energies  upon  the  Toledo,  where  the  principal  and  wealth- 
iest shopkeepers  carry  on  their  business.  Strange  to  say,  even  in  the  midst 
of  this  agony  of  apprehension,  the  Neapolitans  thronged  to  the  lottery- 
offices,  eager  to  secure  favorable  numbers,  and  muttering  all  the  while 
a jangle  of  invocations  to  all  the  saints  in  the  Roman  Calendar,  but  chiefly 
to  St.  Januarius,  their  chosen  protector.  What  we  are  about  to  write 
seems  scarcely  credible  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  but 
our  correspondent  from  Naples  informs  us  that — ‘ The  blood  of  St.  Jan- 
uarius is  said  to  have  been  boiled,  and  a procession  was  thereupon 
formed,  in  which  an  image  was  carried;  so  I have  been  told  this  morn- 
ing.’ The  shocks  of  the  earthquake  were  frequent  at  Naples,  although 
not  very  intense  nor  of  any  great  duration;  but  yet  sufficiently  so  to 
inspire  the  inhabitants  with  the  belief  that  the  end  of  all  things  was  at 
hand.” 


THE  END. 


' ^ ^ W:^  ,'  ^ 

. ^'k  ^..'^  '.  ^‘'  ' J^'i  i) 

..  • -.-.  ,.vc^  ^ ’) 

- ■ r - ■ :..  ; ; : '; 

/ .-/  ■'  . • ^ ^ ‘ - f.  ^Yi. ' 

.i;  -r--;  '■  '•  . . - 

' ' , ■ , ■'>.  ■:■.  ..  •■,  ■; 

. , M.Y-f,  f'  ^ - 

■_  -•-  •••Yt:  vv!j'  ^ *■:•?■'  ■ '•  Vi 5 >7^ 

-.  Y;'-  -Yv.  .'  ^ >/•■'•<<•  -■.  ',  Y ‘ ' 

. . ■ ■ ^ ^ . ■ _■  ^ . 

. V .•  • : ' ■ ’■'''■‘V'''<;. 

- _*  ‘,  / ■ •'./•^'N  • 

--  . , ■ ' , , 
/•;'  t‘'-;i>B  ,,  ■;v»:t  r ' • •'  - t„-: 

: ■ . "-i  ^ . 

•,..!  : - , 

‘ .'■-  '■  . • -M.Ji 

...  .■  .?>*■  ?a-  4'-'  ‘ : i.  ^ ■■■•  • 

ir-.,Y«-.--  • ''  ..  ^ Y- 


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give  its  author  high  rank  among  the  novelists  of  the 
day.” — Atlaidic  Monthly,  1 2mo.,  Muslin,  price  $ i oo 

BALLAD  OF  BABIE  BELL, 

And  other  Poems.  By  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich.  The 
first  selected  collection  of  verses  by  this  author.  : 2mo 
Exquisitely  printf'd,  and  bound  ip  muslin,  price  75  cents, 

TRUE  LOVE  NEVER  DID  RUN  SMOOTH. 

An  Eastern  Tale,  in  Verse.  By  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich, 
author  of  Babie  Bell,  and  othei  Poems.”  Printed 
on  colored  plate  paper.  Muslin^  price  50  cents 

BEATRICE  CENCL 

A Historical  Novel.  By  F.  D.  Guerrazzi.  Translatea 
from  the  original  Italian  by  Luigi  Monti.  Muslin^ 
two  volumes  in  one,  with  steel  portrait  price  25. 

ISABELLA  ORSINI. 

A new  historical  novel.  By  F.  D.  Guerrazzi,  authoi 
of  ‘‘Beatrice  Cenci.”  Translated  by  Monti,  of  Har- 
vard College.  With  steel  portrait.  Muslin,  price  Si  25. 

DOCTOR  ANTONIO. 

A charming  Love  Tale  of  Italy.  By  G.  Ruffini,  au 
thor  of  “Lorenzo  Benoni,”  “Dear  Experience,”  &*c 
From  the  last  London  edition.  Muslin,  price  00 

DEAR  EXPERIENCE. 

A Tale.  By  G.  Ruffini,  author  of  “Doctor  Antonio,* 
“Lorenzo  Benoni,*’  &c.  With  illustrations  by  Leech, 
of  the  London  Punch,  izmo.  Muslin,  price  00 


BY  RUDD  AND  CaRLETON. 


8 


A BACHELOR’S  STORY. 

By  Oliver  Bunce.  Upon  the  thread  of  a pleasant  story 
the  author  has  strung  a wampum  of  love,  philosophy 
and  humor,  izmo.  Muslin,  price  oo. 

LIFE  OF  HUGH  MILLER, 

Aurnor  of  Schools  and  Schoolmasters,”  ‘‘Old  Red 
Sandstone,”  &c.  From  the  last  Glasgow  edition.  Pre 
pared  by  Thomas  N.  Brown.  Muslin,  price  Si  oo 

AFTERNOON  OF  UNMARRIED  LIFE. 

An  interesting  theme,  admirably  treated,  and  combined 
with  strong  common  sense.  Companion  to  “Woman’s 
Thoughts.”  From  London  edition.  Price  Si  oo 

LECTURES  OF  LOLA  MONTEZ, 

Including  her  “Autobiography,”  “ Wits  and  Women  of 
Paris,”  “Comic  Aspect  of  Love,”  “Beautiful  Women,” 
“Gallantry,”  &c.  Muslin,  'teel  portrait,  price  $i  oo. 

ADVENTURES  OF  VERDANT  GREEN. 

By  CuTHBHRT  Bede,  B.A.  The  best  humorous  story  of 
College  Life  ever  published,  ^oth  edition,  from  English 
plates.  Nearly  200  original  illustrations,  price  $1  00. 

CURIOSITIES  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

By  Francis  T.  Buckland,  M.A.  A sparkling  collection 
of  surprises  in  Natural  History,  and  the  charm  of  a 
lively  narrative.  From  4th  London  edition,  price  $i  25. 

BROWN’S  CARPENTER’S  ASSISTANT. 

The  best  practical  work  on  xArchitecture ; with  Plans  for 
every  description  of  Building.  Illustrated  with  over 
200  Plates.  Strongly  bound  in  leather,  price  $5  00 


4 


BY  RUDD  AND  CARLETON. 


THE  VAGABOND. 

A v^oiume  of  Miscellaneous  Papers,  treating  in  colloquia 
sketches  upon  Literature,  Society,  and  Art.  By  Adam 
Badeau.  Bound  in  muslin,  i2mo,  price  $i  oo. 

ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. 

A new  and  popular  Biography  of  this  celebrated  Savani, 
including  his  travels  and  labors,  with  an  introduction  by 
Bayard  Taylor.  One  vol.,  steel  portrait,  price  $i  2c;. 

LOVE  (UAMOUR). 

By  M.  Jules  Michelet.  Author  of  ^^A  History  of 
France,”  &c.  Translated  from  the  French  by  J.  W. 
Palmer,  M.D.  One  vol.,  1 2mo.  Muslin,  price  oo. 

ETHEL’S  LOVE-LIFE. 

By  Mrs.  M.  J.  M.  Sweat.  Rarely  has  any  recent  work 
expressed  the  intenseness  of  a woman’s  love  with  such 
\iQ2LTty  abandon,^^  i2mo.  Muslin,  price  oo. 

STORIES  FOR  CHILDHOOD. 

By  Aunt  Hatty  (Mrs.  Coleman).  Beautifully  bound  in 
cloth,  gilt,  and  profusely  illustrated.  Put  up  in  boxes 
containing  1 2 assorted  volumes.  Price  per  box,  $4  00. 

GOOD  CHILDREN’S  LIBRARY. 

By  Uncle  Thomas.  A dozen  charming  stories,  beautifully 
illustrated ; bound  in  cloth,  gilt  backs.  Put  up  in  boxes 
containing  12  assorted  volumes.  Price  per  box,  $4  00. 

SOUTHWOLD. 

By  Mrs.  Lillie  Devereux  Umsted.  “A  spirited  aia 
well  drawn  Society  novel — somewhat  intensified  bui 
bold  and  cle\er.”  i2mo.  Muslin,  price  $1  00. 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  PUBLISHED 


A 


DOESTICKS’  LETTERS. 

Being  a compilation  of  the  Original  Letters  of  O K.  P. 
Doesticks,  P.  B.  With  many  comic  tinted  illustrationi 
by  John  McLenan.  i2mo.  Muslin,  price  $i  oo 

PLU-RI-BUS-TAH. 

A song  that’s  by-no-author.  Not  a parody  on  “ Hia* 
watha.”  By  Doesticks.  With  150  humorous  illus- 
trations by  McLenan.  i2mo.  Muslin,  price  $1  00 

THE  ELEPHANT  CLUB. 

An  irresistibly  droll  volume.  By  Doesticks,  assisted  by 
Knight  Russ  Ockside,  M.D.  One  of  his  best  works 
Profusely  illustrated  by  McLenan.  Muslin,  price  00. 

THE  WITCHES  OF  NEW  YORK. 

A new  humorous  work  by  Doesticks  ; being  minute, 
particular,  and  faithful  Revelations  of  Black  An 
Mysteries  in  Gotham.  i2mo.  Muslin,  price  $i  00 

TWO  WAYS  TO  WEDLOCK. 

A Novellette.  Reprinted  from  the  columns  of  Morris  & 
Willis’  New  York  Home  Journal,  121110.  Hand- 
somely bound  in  muslin.  Price  00, 

THE  SPUYTENDEVIL  CHRONICLE. 

A sparkling  Novel  of  young  Fasli'onable  Life  in  New  York; 
a Saratoga  Season  ; Flirtations,  &c.  A companion 
to  the  “Potiphar  Papers.”  Muslin,  price  75  cents. 

ROMANCE  OF  A POOR  YOUNG  MAN. 

From  the  French  of  Octave  Feuillet.  An  admit  a Me 
and  striking  work  of  fiction.  Translated  from  the 
Seventh  Paris  edition,  i 2mo.  Muslin,  price  ^'1  00 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  PUBLISHED 


THE  CULPRIT  FAY. 

By  Joseph  Rodman  Drake.  A charming  edition  of  thii 
world-celebrated  Faery  Poem.  Printed  on  colored 
plate  paper.  Muslin,  i2mo.  Frontispiece.  Price,  50  cts. 

THE  NEW  AND  THE  OLD  ; 

Or,  California  and  India  in  Romantic  Aspects.  By  J. 
W.  Palmer,  M.D.,  author  of  Up  and  Down  the  Irra- 
, waddi.”  Abundantly  illustrated.  Muslin,  i2mo.  $1,25. 

UP  AND  DOWN  THE  IRRAWADDI ; 

Or,  the  Golden  Dagon.  Being  passages  of  adventure  in 
the  Burman  Empire.  By  J.  W.  Palmer,  M.D.,  author 
of  “The  New  and  the  Old.”  Illustrated.  Price,  $1,00. 

ERIC;  OR,  LITTLE  BY  LITTLE. 

A Tale  of  Roslyn  School.  By  F.  W.  Farrar  (Fellow  of 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge).  An  admirable  picture 
of  inner  school  life.  Muslin,  i2mo.  Price,  $1,00. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

A private  manuscript  journal  of  home  events,  kept  during 
the  American  Revolution  by  the  Daughter  of  a Clergy- 
man. Printed  in  unique  style.  Muslin,  Price,  $1,00 

HARTLEY  NORMAN. 

A New  Novel.  “ Close  and  accurate  observation,  enables 
the  author  to  present  the,  scenes  of  everyday  life  with 
great  spirit  and  originality.”  Muslin,  i2mo.  Price,  $1,00, 

BORDER  WAR. 

A Tale  of  Disunion.  By  J.  B.  Jones,  author  of  “Wild 
Western  Scenes. ’’  One  of  the  most  popular  books  ever 
published  in  Arne]  ica.  Muslin.  121110.  Price,  81,2  JJ 


i 


